Unhappy Teenagers: A Way for Parents and Teachers to Reach Them

Rating:
Summary: An Essential Resource
Review: If you are the parent of a teen who is having developmental problems of any sort, then you need this book. This book takes the essence of Choice Theory and applies it to the relationship between teens and their parents. The book consists of a number of case studies featuring the stories of typical young adults with all different sorts of problems ranging from anorexia to poor performance in school. As he is relating the story behind each case, the author will frequently turn to a brief discussion of various facets of his Choice Theory and how they apply to the case at hand.

Glasser's enlightened discussion of the Quality World concept of Choice Theory is central to the book, and how this applies to the teen's relationship with his/her parents. Coupled with this are discussions of the concepts of control and choice. Relinquishing one's control over a teen, and gently guiding them toward making better choices is another common theme running through these case studies.

My advice is, if you have a teen, or young adult, and you are experiencing some turbulence (and who does not?), buy this book, read it, underline the passages that strike you as most important (there are many), then keep this book at your side, within reaching distance, as you navigate these years. It is well worth it to be able to reach for this book in times of trouble, when your relationship with your teen or young adult seems to be deteriorating, to open a page at random, and just read. Very often, you will encounter an extremely important insight that can guide you forward.

Thank you Dr. Glasser for helping us parents to understand that the relationship is everything.