The Seven-Year Stretch: How Families Work Together to Grow Through Adolescence [Hardcover]

Laura Scribner Kastner (Author), Jennifer F. Wyatt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 1997

Viewing adolescence in the context of the family, The Seven-Year Stretch is the first book to show parents how and why some teenagers end up well adjusted while others end up in trouble. Why are some teens impulsive rule-breakers, while others seem more mindful of right and wrong? Why do some turn to drugs and alcohol regularly, while others experiment only on occasion? Why are some families constantly battling, while others have only minor conflicts? How can parents distinguish between normal rebellion and deeper problems? In this book, Laura Kastner, Ph.D., and Jennifer Wyatt, Ph.D., introduce us to a range of families---from thriving to struggling---and explain how their behavior patterns, past and present, affect the teenager's development. Garnered from Dr. Kastner's clinical and teaching experience, these true-to-life stories and dialogues illustrate the impact of such factors as clashing parenting styles, the temperaments of parents and children, parents' own unresolved issues, marital dynamics, and circumstances such as divorce, financial stress, and cultural differences. With optimism and creativity, the authors explain how parents can harness their family strengths to face today's challenges for adolescents. They look beyond the "shoulds," describing what different parenting approaches look like and sound like in action. Readers of the best early child-rearing texts of the times, from T. Berry Brazelton to Selma Fraiberg, will find The Seven-Year Stretch an essential guide to the passage throught the next stage---adolescence.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Kastner (psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Univ. of Washington) and writer Wyatt, both of whom are parents of two children, examine the dynamics of adolescent growth within the family. Each of eight chapters deals separately with a major developmental area of adolescence: trust, freedom, a concept of self, character, social skills, sexuality, risk-taking, and launching. In discussing how adolescents achieve each of these goals, the authors concentrate on the family dynamics involved. Taking a wholistic approach, they argue cogently that "to understand what's going on with an individual, we need to explore the network of relationships of which he or she is a part." Sample vignettes are drawn from families who function at various levels, from healthy to very unhealthy. This work should prove to be a valuable resource to both parents and others, including educators, who work with adolescents. Highly recommended for all public and undergraduate libraries.?Kay L. Brodie, Chesapeake Coll., Wye Mills., Md.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

A Seattle-based writer, mother of four, and Ph.D. in English, Jennifer F. Wyatt has taught at both the college and high school levels. She contributes to a variety of parenting publications.

Laura S. Kastner, Ph.D., is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington. A family therapist and mother of two, she writes and lectures widely on adolescence and family behavior.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 307 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (May 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395735262
• ISBN-13: 978-0395735268
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #728,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Seven Year Stretch, May 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Seven-Year Stretch: How Families Work Together to Grow Through Adolescence (Hardcover)

I picked up this book a few weeks ago - my two daughters are twelve and fourteen. I could not put it down. Every page is applicable to our lives. I felt reassured that my girls are very normal, and that I am doing okay. Situations from real-life 'positive' family interactions remind me of where I can improve in my communication as a parent. Lessons are realistic, not restricted to an ideal world, or unattainable in our chaotic, busy household. The book is kept in the 'reference ' section of our library, and as issues arise, I turn to the Table of Contents to find the chapter pertaining to my quandry - sexuality, social issues with peers. I have shown excerpts to my older daughter, and we laugh together, seeing ourselves, and finding solutions agreeable to us both. My only complaint is that the book is only 300 pages - we have more questions with which I am sure the authors could offer insight. Bottom Line -- This book is real life, practical, helpful.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bingo!, September 13, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Seven-Year Stretch: How Families Work Together to Grow Through Adolescence (Hardcover)

I'm an auntie of a 12 year old neice and a 10 year old nephew. This is the first book I've read on the mystery of adolesence and it was exactly what I was looking for. Clear, easy to understand, doable ideas and logic for keeping these tough relationships on track. Great anticdotes that remind you how painful it was to be that age - what you were thinking about. Great examples, concise, and hopeful - a great read. I especially enjoyed the chapter on "launching" - who knew there were so many issues, so much to consider, when pushing a child out of the nest SUCCESSFULLY say, to college?

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bears more than one readig, February 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Seven-Year Stretch: How Families Work Together to Grow Through Adolescence (Hardcover)

Dr. Kastner's style is very down-to-earth yet transmits concentrated, dense information/wisdom that parents probably need to read more than once to fully absorb. The one disappointment is the lack of an index. As I put down the book and later picked it up to review, I always found myself going to the index and finding there was none. The material would be more accessible if an index were added, as the table of contents isn't sufficiently detailed to help locate very specific points.