Parenting Teens

This book is easy to read. It is well written including letters from parents or teens who have attended one of his many speaking sessions across the country. It is devoid of technical jargon or vocabulary meant to impress. Excerpts from letters parents have written add depth and credibility to the rest of the contents.

This book is not an antiseptic, clinical approach to the subject matter. It was birthed in the cauldron of painful experience. The author Norbert Georget, a paramedic, was driven to find ways to help parents of teens after seeing hundreds of their children being killed, beaten, raped or traumatized because of bad choices they had made.

Nothing trumps the power of witnessing the devastation of poor choices or the blessing of good ones.
I appreciate the way he honors parents and the powerful impact they can have to train their teens to navigate through the turbulent teen years to become happy stable adults.

"I believe the world has the best teachers that we can possibly have today, but your example as good parents to your children is the best teacher of all."

He makes no mention whether he is married or not or if he has ever been a parent himself. Initially I thought that would result in a shallow treatment of the subject. However, that is not the case because he has interviewed hundreds of parents and their teens and other professionals who are on the front lines of helping families build healthy relationships.

"For the last twenty-five years, I have traveled North America, speaking to groups of parents and teenagers about the dangers of drinking and driving, about the dangers of drugs, about what can happen to your life when you're not making good choices. I've worked many hours in drug treatment centers and have worked one on one with parents to help them overcome difficulties with their teen children. Teen behavior and choices are manageable. Teens are reachable. I do it every day.
I've literally been out in the trenches, not only as a paramedic and speaker but also in counseling teens and parents. I have seen the desperation parents have in wanting to find ways to reach their teen children. I have witnessed the frustration of teens who feel as though they are not understood, appreciated, or valued."

"I did a year long survey gathering data from hundreds of parents about their biggest concerns with their teens. In the survey, I offered parents the opportunity to write in and tell me about the specific struggles they were dealing with. Many of those struggles have been adapted for use in this book. You will see their stories and many others at the beginning of each chapter section."

"After gathering the information from the parents involved in the survey, I then tried to determine the most pressing problems parents were facing with their teens, which resulted in the chapters and subchapters that appear in the book. Throughout the book, I try to provide the best possible solutions, approaches, and tools to help parents help their teens. We talked to several experts, gathered the best information, and tried to really get to the heart of the matter with parents and teens."

I have read each one of the 15 chapters that addresses a topic which we have experienced in our home or saw others face them. The chapter I found most interesting, perhaps because it was an issue in our home was the one dealing with why it's okay to invade your teen's privacy. I especially appreciated the list of tips in summary form at the end of each chapter.

Another strength is that each chapter is a stand alone unit. If you are struggling with an issue in one chapter you only have to read that one to get the information you need. Reading all the others will be helpful but not essential to gaining the desired benefit.

Chapter topics included:

1. Where did we go wrong and feelings of failure that plague most of us as we enter the turbulent teen years. One of the most important keys to the success of this book is on helping parents find ways to teach their children to take responsibility for their own actions
2.How to handle disrespectful behavior. Anyone who has been a teen, has a teen or observed a teen knows this a relevant topic.
3.Communication with your teen and what to do when they are texting or calling excessively
4.Lack of motivation and what to do with an entitlement mentality, laziness and how to address your own frustrations as a parent
5.Out of control teens who are abusive to the parent and how to discipline the out of control teen and the intriguing connection between exercise and behavior,
6.Personal accountability or knowing what to do when your teens blames you for all their problems,
7.School problems from failing grades to bullying,
8.Medical issues like ADD and others,
9.The family unit including sibling rivalry, step parenting, ex spouses,
10.Substance abuse including alcohol and the use or selling of drugs, how to recognize signs of addiction,
11.Dealing with sexual issues for teenage sons or daughters, their love relationships and issues surrounding homosexuality,
12.Peer pressure and the power of peer manipulation,
13.Ethical behaviors like stealing, lying, vandalism or gangs,
14.How to get through to your teen ranging from how to give positive encouragement to the use of boot or brat camp if necessary,
15.And the final chapter aptly titled The Good News - You and your teen will survive if you make good choices.

Every book has its weaknesses and this one is no exception. In his attempt to cover as many topics as possible in one book some the chapters come across a little shallow. The one on sexuality in particular deserved more attention. His views on homosexuality do not reflect my own views and some tools to help parents who are facing this issue would have been helpful.

The short section on possible gang involvement and what to do needs further treatment especially at a time when gang involvement is exploding in our cities. However, having said that, it is important to note that if the parenting tips in the other chapters are applied that alone will reduce the likelihood of gang fascination and participation.

There is little if any reference to the role of faith or spirituality in a teens life. That does not take away from the effective tips he has presented but rather leaves out a major component that deserves fuller treatment.

The cost of this ebook is about that of a nice supper out. It costs less than one hour of therapy or counseling in most places and has the potential of returning lifelong benefits. It has a very positive return on investment. Furthermore the bonuses alone are worth the cost of the ebook itself. I rarely pay attention to bonuses because typically they are just fill in materials to make the sales letter look more impressive without adding any real value. These bonuses are the exception. Each one of them add real value.

No-Nonsense Parenting for Today's Teenager How to Feel Like a Good Parent Even When Your Teen Hates You
is a book I would recommend to any parent to teens or pre teens, clubs or youth group leader and anyone involved with teens. We used many of these strategies in our own parenting style and consequently we had mostly enjoyable experiences with our children. We had our bumps along the way, and some spills to go along with the bumps, but over all we had a good experience. I wish we had used some of the techniques presented in this book. Perhaps it would have been better yet.