How to Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk (Hardcover)

by Adele Faber (Author), Elaine Mazlish (Author) "I didn't know what to expect..." (more)
Key Phrases: Talk So Teens Will Listen, Working It Out Together, Meeting the Kids (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Living with teenagers can be overwhelming. Overnight, it seems, the children you were once so close to turn into independent strangers with thoughts, tastes, and values all their own. And today's teens are growing up in a popular culture that is meaner, ruder, cruder, more materialistic, more sexualized, and more violent than ever before. What's a parent to do?

How to Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk

Internationally acclaimed parenting experts Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish have helped millions of families with their breakthrough, best-selling books How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, Siblings Without Rivalry, and Liberated Parents, Liberated Children. Now, they return with a lively, down-to-earth guide that tackles the tough issues teens and parents face today. After years of research, lecturing, and feedback, Faber and Mazlish have developed an innovative approach to maintaining a candid, open, mutually respectful dialogue between parents and teens. It's a strategy that curbs conflict, reduces frustration, and promotes thoughtful communication about everything from curfews and drugs to schoolwork and sex.

Written in Faber and Mazlish's trademark accessible style, How to Talk So Teens Will Listen & Listen So Teens Will Talk takes you inside their acclaimed workshops where you will hear -- in the words of both parents and teens -- what's on the minds of families today. Packed with suggestions that are easy to implement, and reinforced with stories, line drawings, and "reminder" pages, this indispensable volume will help build a foundation for a healthy relationship that puts the emphasis on rapport rather than reprisals. From age-old concerns about cliques and dating to contemporary worries about binge drinking and cyberbullying, Faber and Mazlish help parents tackle problems before they get out of hand. In their warm, lucid, unpatronizing manner, the authors show families how to be supportive and stay connected during the challenging teenage years.

About the Author

Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish are internationally acclaimed, award-winning experts on adult-child communication. Both lecture nationwide, and their group workshop programs are used by thousands of groups throughout the world to improve communication between children and adults.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (August 23, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060741252
• ISBN-13: 978-0060741259
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #74,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last! Skills that work with teenagers!, March 2, 2006

By	Diana D. DePalma (Long Island, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Nineteen years ago I had reached the end of my "motherhood rope". The kids were fighting, whining, manipulating, throwing tantrums... just generally being "kids." But one day it just became way too overwhelming, so I left them home with their dad and escaped to the mall. While in the bookstore I couldn't help but notice an enticing book cover: "How To Talk So Kids Will Listen And Listen So Kids Will Talk." "That'll be the day!" I grunted, but walked across the aisle to page through the book... Inside I noticed what an easy read this book was for busy mothers like myself; cartoons showing me skills such as "Instead of nagging, try saying it with a word!" Interesting! I took the book home and that very skill was the first one I tried ----- and the first of many that worked! (Instead of nagging that we didn't own the electric company because I saw the bathroom light had been left on, I simply said "Lights!" and the kids actually jumped up to shut the light!)

Amazing!! I had to share this wonderful book with my friends at the PTA!! The PTA said "We'll sponsor a workshop if you lead it!" I agreed, and have been leading workshops based on the Faber/Mazlish series successfully for the past nineteen years. The only thing missing was help for the parents of teenagers, but thanks to the authors, that problem is now solved. The positive feedback on this book from parents in my classes has been heartwarming. Unruly, sullen teens were now taking the time to have conversations with their parents, agreeing to accompany families on vacations, cleaning their rooms, and getting haircuts!!! There was no end to the good news I was receiving in my classrooms! Is this book a magic bullet? A miracle cure to the teenage "attitude disease?" Wake up! There are no magic bullets, and anyone who has taken my class will tell you that I don't promise miracles, but I do promise calm. Could you use some "calm" in your home? Thanks to Adele and Elaine's revamping of Dr. Haim Ginott's teachings to fit the teenage years, you can breathe a little easier. Pick up a copy of this book and slowly start incorporating the skills into your home life; you won't be disappointed, I promise.

Isn't it time for you to experience the "calm?"

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great update to their solid earlier work, February 4, 2006

By	B. Farris (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had just finished "How to Talk so Your Kids Will Listen..." when someone told me that this book had come out. Putting the lessons of the earlier book to work on the communications with my 8, 10 & 12 year olds was helping a lot. Less yelling, more communicating, actually solving some problems; welcome changes. So when I saw this at the local library I grabbed it.

It starts off with familiar material from the first book, but then goes further with more pertinent examples and sections about friends, and how to talk about sex and drugs.

I'm still the early stages of my journey with this material. But so far it's a much better way.

One more comment. This is unlike so many self-help books that go on and on about the problem before they get to anything practical. This book is 100% practical. From the first chapter there will be challenges and opportunities for you to improve your communication (with your kids or anyone else).

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful book by Faber and Mazlish, November 11, 2005

By	J. King "mother of 3" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Another wonderful book by Faber and Mazlish. I love their helpful examples, this time from the lives of teen families. Easy to read and best of all, the ideas are immediately applicable. More than just tools and tricks, the work is based upon profound principles that make so much sense. And they make a compelling case for their many suggested alternatives to punishment -- all much more effective than prevailing ideas about so-called "discipline" and "logical consequences."