Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers [Hardcover]

Peter L. Benson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0470294043 | ISBN-13: 978-0470294048 | Edition: 1

In this practical book, Dr. Peter Benson, a leading authority on childhood and adolescence, describes a simple yet powerful plan for awakening the spark that lives inside each and every young person. Sparks—when illuminated and nurtured—give young people joy, energy, and direction. They have the power to change a young person’s life from one of “surviving” to “thriving.” Grounded in new research with thousands of teenagers and parents, Sparks offers a step-by-step approach to helping teenagers discover their unique gifts, and works for all families, no matter their economic status, parenting situation, or ethnic background.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In careful steps filled with quizzes, self-assessments, checklists, and true stories, this engaging guide empowers adults to help teens discover their sparks and bring them to life…’A spark is about developing yourself from the inside out,’ Benson writes. This new aspect of youth development is an exciting and worthy outgrowth of the developmental assets approach." –Youth Today (December/January 2009) --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

The greatest gift parents can give their children is to help them discover their purpose and passion.

In this practical book, Dr. Peter Benson, a leading authority on childhood and adolescence, describes a simple yet powerful plan for awakening the spark that lives inside each and every young person. Sparks—when illuminated and nurtured—give young people joy, energy, and direction. They have the power to change a young person's life from one of "surviving" to "thriving."

Grounded in new research with thousands of teenagers and parents, Sparks offers a step-by-step approach to helping teenagers discover their unique gifts, and works for all families, no matter their economic status, parenting situation, or ethnic background. The simple steps are:

• Recognize the Power of Sparks

• Know Your Own Teenager

• Help Discover and Reveal Your Teen's Sparks

• Be the Captain of Your Teen's Spark Team

• Keep Your Teen's Spark Lit

Young people who identify their sparks and get support in developing them from caring adults have higher grades in school and are more likely to be

• Socially competent

• Physically healthy

• Volunteers to help other people

• Good stewards of the earth and its resources

• Possessed of a sense of purpose

Isn't this what we all want for our teenagers?

Help your teen find his or her spark. Your role is crucial, and this book will give you everything you require to be the "spark champion" your child needs.

Young people who identify their sparks and get support in developing them from caring adults have higher grades in school and are more likely to be

• Socially competent

• Physically healthy

• Volunteers to help other people

• Good stewards of the earth and its resources

• Possessed of a sense of purpose

• Isn't this what we all want for our teenagers?

Help your teen find his or her spark. Your role is crucial, and this book will give you everything you require to be the "spark champion" your child needs.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (October 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470294043
• ISBN-13: 978-0470294048
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Advice that is old but that cannot be heard enough, February 22, 2009

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers (Hardcover)

The advice here is accurate, but hardly original in the modern era. Fundamentally, there are two main tracks to the advice and the first can be stated as "To create a solid adult citizen, find something that your teenager is passionate about and do everything you can to encourage it." This is advice that can be found in many places and in many forms in the last two hundred years, For centuries, doing what you wanted to do was restricted to the moneyed and royal classes, it was only after the Industrial Revolution that it could be applied to the masses. In the modern world of immediate action and immediate gratification and with so many options for young people, it is difficult to keep them focused on a track that will lead them to success.

The second track is about adults being involved in the lives of teenagers, even when it may not appear that the teen is paying attention. The adult does not have to be a driving force, at times the best position is to be riding alongside and talking. With so much going on in their lives and so much potential for good or ill, just being there is the key point of value.

Therefore, while the advice in this book is not new, it is still the most valuable advice to receive regarding the parenting of teenagers. Parental interest and engagement and allowing them to become involved in their passions are the two strongest forces that will move teenagers away from the bad and dangerous and into the positive.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quality Research and Writing, November 2, 2008

By 

Abanana - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers (Hardcover)

Peter L. Benson wrote a well researched, insightful book for parents on how to support their children's personal development. I would recommend it to any parents, grandparents or those working regularily with youth.

The book's biggest fault was mainly several obvious typos.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Common Sense, Positive Approach for Encouraging and Developing Teens, March 25, 2009

By 

Jennifer "Jenners" (Sicklerville, NJ, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers (Hardcover)

Overview

It isn't easy being the parent of a teenager in today's society so parents need to use every tool they have to help their teenagers be happy, productive and positive members of their community. The approach described in the book focuses on helping parents to identify, nourish and encourage their teenager's "sparks." According to the author, a spark:

* gives energy and joy

* provides the feeling of being alive, useful and purposeful

* is absorbing to the point that you "lose yourself in the moment

* originates from inside a person

* is a skill, talent, interest or gift

* is a person's prime source of meaning, self-directed action and purpose

* has the potential to make the world a better place for others.

Some specific examples of sparks include: music, art, writing, dance, crafts, building, design, leadership, entrepreneurship, sports, athletics, learning, teaching, relationships, volunteering, nature, animals, computers, comedy, speech, spirituality, drama, photography, film, being committed to living in a specific way, reading, advocacy, family, outdoor life, journalism, engineering, and solving social problems.

The book offers five steps for igniting and encouraging your teen's sparks:

1. Recognize the power of sparks

2. Know your own teenager

3. Help discover and reveal your teen's sparks

4. Be the captain of your teen's spark team

5. Keep your teen's spark lit.

The book is packed with quizzes, lists, tips, interviews, statistics and quotes to illustrate the author's five steps and help parents implement them successfully. The book also includes an extensive list of resources, books, websites, films, videos, organizations and studies to help support parents and their teens in the spark development process.

My Thoughts

The ideas in this book made a lot of sense to me. It seems like a "no brainer" that encouraging your teenager to discover, nourish and fulfill what drives them would result in a more positive and productive person. The approach advocated in the book is non-judgemental, positive and encouraging. It is not about trying to discipline your teen; rather, it is about helping your teen find a way to contribute positively in the world by doing what they LOVE to do. Really, everyone -- regardless of age -- would be better off by identifying, developing and nourishing their own sparks.

The author provides research and statistics to back-up his recommendations, but I didn't really feel this made any real difference to me. What he says just makes sense. I really wish that every parent could get a copy of this book to help them in the difficult teenage years. I can't see why this book wouldn't be helpful to any parent or person working with teenagers.

The other thing I liked was that the author provides lots of quizzes to help parents and teens discover their spark. In addition, there are tons of examples of potential sparks -- surely everyone could find at least ONE spark using the lists in the book. There is also a list of 40 developmental assets that kids need to succeed. Even if parents just read this part of the book, it would help tremendously.

Although the book can seem a bit repetitive at times, it is full of practical and useful information to help parents and teens throughout the five step process. I would recommend the book to anyone who works with, lives with or teaches teenagers -- as well as teenagers themselves. In fact, I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a little help in figuring out their "purpose" in life!

About the Author

Peter L. Benson, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based Search Institute, is one of the world's leading authorities on positive human development. He weaves together rigorous scholarship with a passionate commitment to understanding--and influencing--society to be more attentive to children and adolescents. His insight, vision, and passion have made him a widely sought speaker, writer, and consultant for major national and international events, organizations, and policy initiatives. Dr. Benson is the author or editor of more than a dozen books on child and adolescent development and social change.