You're Grounded Till You're Thirty!: What Works and What Doesn't in Parenting Today's Teens

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I've been searching for books that actually have specific examples of teenage problems and what to do. This book hit it right on the head. I have also tried some of the ideas in this book with my 12 and 13 year old. It works. Just have patience.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I've been searching for books that actually have specific examples of teenage problems and what to do. This book hit it right on the head. I have also tried some of the ideas in this book with my 12 and 13 year old. It works. Just have patience.

Rating:
Summary: Making it all comprehensible
Review: Where was this book when I needed it? When I think back on those joyous and turbulent times when my sons were teenagers, things were never too clear, but Judi Craig, Ph.D., MCC is an experienced clinical psychologist and professional coach ...who writes with exceptional clarity. She manages to pull apart the tangled threads of teen-parent relating and show them to you, one by one, which is particularly important because when they come at you in real life, they’re going to be coming in confusing combinations. She’s also the mother of three grown children, so she’s been in the trenches and knows whereof she speaks. I know I’m supposed to believe that someone can know about teens who hasn’t raised one, but I don’t.

Craig points out right away something that’s often missing in parental advice books – there’s a warp and a woof to the fabric – there’s what’s going on with the teenager, and then there’s what’s going on with the parent(s). “What’s Really Happening with Parents of Teens?” addresses the developmental stages the parents are going through, which impact on the relationship. When you’re clear about yourself, you can handle the storms of teen emotions better.

Full of concrete advice, this book gives you specific suggestions for real-life situations that really work. She helps you keep your head about you and distinguish what's imprtant and what isn't: “If your teen does not seem to be unduly affected by his musical choices,” she writes, “and basically remains his usual self, there’s probably no reason to raise the issue and create a potential power struggle. On the other hand, if his new musical heroes seem to be part of a negative new identity, it would be wise to intervene…not all loud music that teens love contains objectionable content.”

She has a way of disarming loaded issues that makes the information a lot easier to absorb. Her chapter on the “S” word begins, “If there’s one issue that is guaranteed to bring anxiety to both parents and teens, it’s sex!” Somehow that statement allows you to read further, and you need to read further.

Read this book before your children become teens, and keep it on your bedside table when they are. If you counsel or coach, keep it in your office. It’s upbeat, common-sense advice, and you’re going to need it!

Rating:
Summary: Making it all comprehensible
Review: Where was this book when I needed it? When I think back on those joyous and turbulent times when my sons were teenagers, things were never too clear, but Judi Craig, Ph.D., MCC is an experienced clinical psychologist and professional coach ...who writes with exceptional clarity. She manages to pull apart the tangled threads of teen-parent relating and show them to you, one by one, which is particularly important because when they come at you in real life, they’re going to be coming in confusing combinations. She’s also the mother of three grown children, so she’s been in the trenches and knows whereof she speaks. I know I’m supposed to believe that someone can know about teens who hasn’t raised one, but I don’t.

Craig points out right away something that’s often missing in parental advice books – there’s a warp and a woof to the fabric – there’s what’s going on with the teenager, and then there’s what’s going on with the parent(s). “What’s Really Happening with Parents of Teens?” addresses the developmental stages the parents are going through, which impact on the relationship. When you’re clear about yourself, you can handle the storms of teen emotions better.

Full of concrete advice, this book gives you specific suggestions for real-life situations that really work. She helps you keep your head about you and distinguish what's imprtant and what isn't: “If your teen does not seem to be unduly affected by his musical choices,” she writes, “and basically remains his usual self, there’s probably no reason to raise the issue and create a potential power struggle. On the other hand, if his new musical heroes seem to be part of a negative new identity, it would be wise to intervene…not all loud music that teens love contains objectionable content.”

She has a way of disarming loaded issues that makes the information a lot easier to absorb. Her chapter on the “S” word begins, “If there’s one issue that is guaranteed to bring anxiety to both parents and teens, it’s sex!” Somehow that statement allows you to read further, and you need to read further.

Read this book before your children become teens, and keep it on your bedside table when they are. If you counsel or coach, keep it in your office. It’s upbeat, common-sense advice, and you’re going to need it!