Author(s): Les Simmonds & Ian Lambie

Teens

Excellent advice for parenting teenagers from a highly experienced psychologist and a counsellor.

Many parents feel anxious about coping with teenagers - it's not surprising given all the horror stories you hear. Other parents warn us of previously docile and compliant children who appear to have undergone a personality change overnight and become more like a mini psychopath - turning sullen, rebellious and moody overnight. And you hear reports of drugs, alcohol, violence, youth suicide, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and road accidents regularly on the news.

Parenting teenagers brings a whole raft of new issues and challenges to every parent, and this book gives you practical ideas and information, so you can face those challenges with confidence. Communication becomes more crucial than ever when dealing with teens and these authors are especially strong on family dynamics, building better relationships, sorting out your own issues and improving communication. They help you distinguish between normal and problem behaviours, give ways to avoid problems and negotiate difficult issues plus lots of practical ideas for dealing with common issues. On top of that, there's lots of encouragement for stressed or overwhelmed parents, advice about taking care of yourself and examples of success stories. Adolescents were consulted in the publication and their input was received about what would be helpful and what they saw as current issues.