Parenting Jewish Teens: A Guide for the Perplexed [Paperback]

Joanne Doades (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2006

Relationships with teenage children can be maddening and frustrating. They undergo the most peculiar transition from children you think you know into mysterious adolescent strangers you often wish you didn't.

Drawing upon the teachings, insights, and wisdom that have sustained the Jewish people throughout the generations, this groundbreaking and invaluable guidebook will help you navigate the tumultuous journey of parenting a Jewish child into adulthood while asking--and answering--important questions, including:

How is my Jewish teen's life different from my life when I was a teen?
How do I cope with the pain of separation as my child enters the teenage years?
What are the causes of the conflict between me and my teen, and how can I help our family move through our most difficult moments?
How must my own behavior change as my teen grows older?
Is it possible to live with differences in Jewish belief and observance within the same family during my child's teenage years?
What are the unique challenges of parenting Jewish teens in special situations, such as an interfaith home; a special-needs teen; an adopted teen; or a teen who is engaged in risky or self-destructive behaviors?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A good word for the disorientation many parents feel during their children's teenage years is "perplexed." In a twist on the title of Maimonides's 12th-century philosophical tome The Guide for the Perplexed, Doades offers a compassionate parenting manual that aims Judaism's messages at the "tumultuous, challenging and chaotic" teen years. "Parenting Jewish teens today is about finding something to hang onto (Judaism works) as you try to hang onto your kids (don't give up, no matter what they look, smell or act like)," she writes. Contemporary society, plagued by a decline in communal connectedness, compounds the hormonal upheaval by providing few consequences for behavior and popularizing a culture that denigrates authority, she says. Judaism's enduring values will not only serve them in good stead, providing tools to evaluate their choices, but will comfort and direct parents in maintaining dignity, sanity and family relationships. In a sympathetic parent-to-parent tone, Doades explores issues of separation, culture, conflict, family relationships, changing parental roles, interfaith dilemmas and special-needs situations, with examples from the Bible and Jewish literature. She urges parents to start Jewish teen parenting groups, and concludes that despite the normal teenage need for separation, parents must echo the Bible's message, Hineini, "Here I am." (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Author

"We Jewish parents, and perhaps others as well, need a glimpse of the meaning that lies beyond the minute-by-minute, day-to-day encounters in the struggle of parenting emerging adults. In the everyday battles of life with our teens, we need the benefits and the comfort that the teachings and the wisdom that have guided and sustained the Jewish people through countless generations can provide." --from the Preface

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Product Details

• Paperback: 149 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (November 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580233058
• ISBN-13: 978-1580233057
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,171,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Poignant Guidebook, November 18, 2006

By 

Jennifer Brozoski (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parenting Jewish Teens: A Guide for the Perplexed (Paperback)

Parenting Jewish Teens: A Guide for the Perplexed by Joanne Doades is a must-read for any parent of teenage children. Ms. Doades shares her experience as a parent of three Jewish teens to help other parents learn from her triumphs and her mistakes. The book is certainly inspirational, encouraging parents to persist in their relationships with their teenage children even in difficult times. In today's society where family relationships are disjointed to say the least, Parenting Jewish Teens: A Guide for the Perplexed is like a breath of fresh air!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parenting Jewish Teens- a must read!, November 30, 2006

By 

Cantor Perry Fine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parenting Jewish Teens: A Guide for the Perplexed (Paperback)

Teenagers! Can there another demographic group more challenging yet full of promise! JoAnne Doades book on Parenting Jewish Teens offers a realistic approach to raising teens based on years of insight and experience. Her book is a paractical guide filled with great understanding, sensitivity and humor. I particularly like her integration of Jewish primary sources into the discussion If you have Jewish teens, this book is a must!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the real-life stories about the family, November 23, 2006

By 

J D Williams (Navarre, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parenting Jewish Teens: A Guide for the Perplexed (Paperback)

This books would be helpful to all parents. We have all been in many of these same situations and the author's down-to-earth approach makes this book a joy to read.