Raising Real People: A Guide to Parents

Rating:
Summary: Raising Real People
Review: Full of insight, humour and good advice it is an easy-to-read, accessible guide for parents wanting to solve teenage problems. The book is colourful with lots of ideas from other parents to make you realise you are not alone. Reading this book will give you hope and that almost every teenage problem will have a solution. Andrew Fuller's realistic approach looks at ways to build a more harmonious relationships with your teenager. They may still slam doors and stay out too late but you will have a different way of relating to them. The book says you need to be a resilient parent to have have a resilient teenager and be able to talk them through problems even if they are not speaking to you at the time. He has some great quotes: "No one can be as cool as teenagers have to try to be". How true! "Things we can learn from dogs - if what you want lies buried, dig until you find it". One of the bits I liked best in this fantastic book is the cunning seven-day parenting plan: The Seven Days that Shook your Teenager. Day One: Take a break - stop whatever you are doing in relation to your teenagers behaviour - have a rest. Day Two: Leap into further inaction. Continue not to intervene. Write down in 3 sentences or less what your goal is. Day Three: Spying. Start spying on your teenager. You need to find times when the problem doesn't happen. Don't respond when it does happen. Day Four: Go on a search to find talents, skills, contributions, abilities and interests your teenager has. Day Five: Spend a day saying yes to your teenager. Whatever they suggest you agree to! Day six: Invite your teenager to come and do things with you (but not in advance), just say 'I'd like you to come out with me today - there's a few things I've got to do'. If it's a school day, so much the better. Take them to the movies, out to lunch, test drive new cars etc. Day Seven: Here's where you become really unpredictable. Your job is to encourage more of the things that happen when the problem doesn't. (this is only a precis of the plan - there is lots more advice).

I can honestly say this is the best book I have ever read on parenting and believe me I've read a few. Teenage problems will be minimal if you follow Mr Fuller's advice. Exceptional, highly recommended. Even if this book had cost $90 I still would have bought it!