Please Stop the Rollercoaster!: How Parents of Teenagers Can Smooth Out the Ride

Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth the time
Review: I was beginning to think my 15-year old & I would not survive the high school years, but now there's hope!Our group of 8 parents of teenagers just finished an 8 week Please Stop the Rollercoaster self-directed program using this book as our discussion guide. I can honestly say we were all sad to see it end. We learned a lot about why teenagers do what they do... how we as parents can learn to be more effective in helping them become adults we will be proud to know... how to love them through, rather than just survive, this stressful journey. I appreciated all of the excerpts from the various books about parenting teenagers - I don't have time to read them all, but have decided on a couple that I will read based on the information I found helpful in Please Stop the Rollercoaster. I encourage readers to gather a few other parents to work with. It is absolutely worth the effort. You find out quickly, "It's not just you and it's not just your teenager." There is great comfort in knowing we are all in this together.This is a great discussion guide. Whether your teenager is in middle school or high school you will find plenty of help here.

Rating:
Summary: An ideal and highly recommended instructional
Review: Please Stop The Rollercoaster: How Parents Of Teenagers Can Smooth Out The Ride by Sue Blaney (herself the mother of two teenagers and a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst) focuses upon the issues commonly confronting parents with adolescent children. The text of this thoroughly "parent friendly" manual is wonderfully accessible in both language and organization. Beginning with an extended explanation for why the need for a methodical approach to parenting, Blaney goes on to survey and discuss adolescent development, the change roles and relationships between teenage children and their parents; improving family communication skills; the impact and influence of adolescent peers, the media dominated culture, and children's high risk behaviors; personality type and brain development; school experience, parental support, and self-esteem; the "myth of perfection", and more. Please Stop The Rollercoaster is an ideal and highly recommended instructional and informational parenting guide.

Rating:
Summary: Solutions for The Troublesome Teenage Years
Review: Sue Blaney has turned her real-life experience and research into an action plan. When her oldest child was in junior high, she met with six other Acton, MA women and together they created a discussion/learning group to encourage support and to examine issues they were facing with their teens.

Please Stop the Rollercoaster is an excellent choice for parents who want to minimize their stress and gain insight from experts and real-life parents. If parenting is the most important job a parent can ever have and life is a school, then this is a textbook for "how to survive the teenage years."

The contents include:

Why You Need a Parenting Program
How To Use This Guide
Adolescent Development
Parenting: Our Changing Roles and Relationships
Improving Communication
Friends, Culture, and Risk Behavior
Personality Type and Brain Development
Personality Type and Brain Development
School, Parental Support, and Self-Esteem
The Myth of Perfection
Reflections

Each section has quotes, exercises, issues to examine and discuss, take-aways (identify what you have learned and what was relevant to you), and a "window" into the adolescent world (quotes from teenagers.) There is also additional support through a website listed in the book.

In the first chapter, Adolescent Development, we find a brief discussion about how a teenager is changing dramatically. This is followed by a question and then there is room for you to note changes you are observing. After turning the page you will find an "overview and objectives" section. This tells you what you will be learning in the chapter and this is followed by a page of instructions like: "Complete the letter/vision exercise on page 12." This is then followed by an informative section on "a view of adolescence." Finally, here is a section called: "A Glimpse into Their World." There are quotes from teenagers and lots of quotes from various books you might also want to read if you have time.

"Don't worry so much if you don't have the answer to a question I may have. Just keep helping me find the answers." ~Charlene, 17

The first chapter deals with physical and cognitive development, self-discovery and identity, development and gender, mood swings, spirituality, ethnicity, conscience and fears.

Then, last but not least... there is a section called: Issues to Examine and Discuss and the Take-Aways section.

So, this is pretty comprehensive and the author takes this subject very seriously all while presenting the topics in an enjoyable fashion. You will also find humorous comic strips sprinkled throughout the book.

If you are trying to talk to your kids about various issues, like alcohol and drugs, there are informative sections that give the facts. This book does not judge or give "rules" for parenting. It presents the facts and then asks you to fill in your ideas. For example, "What is your stand on teen drinking?" There is some pretty interesting information on what teenagers think about sexual activity. You probably did hear some of this in the news. Wouldn't you rather warn your teenagers about date rape drugs and other situations before they occur? This book makes perfect sense.

Chapter 5 was quite a fun read for me with my interest in psychology. It deals with personality type and brain development. There are tests you can take online, but this book gives a good section that will allow you to quickly analyze yourself or a teens personality. It is interesting how my best friends are actually the same personality type as I am. This was all very enlightening. It might also help you figure out eveyone's personality and it just fascinating. I had a good laugh when reading about my own personality. Imagine the fun you can have with this chapter.

Since School is such the important topic, an entire chapter is devoted to School, Parental Support and Self-Esteem. You will find info on the Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences (musical intelligence vs. linguistic intelligence, etc.), how your teen can improve their grades, self-esteem and many more pertinent issues.

Wow, this is one interesting book. I'm very impressed. You will not only understand your teen, you will start to even understand yourself in a deeper way. Sue Blaney has created a gift for parents that will enable them to deal with the main issues of the teenage years.

Highly Recommended!

~TheRebeccaReview.com