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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read for anyone who deals with Teenagers!, October 31, 2011
This review is from: The Stranger in Your House (Paperback)
We all know that as teens grow and mature, they become different then the children we have seen growing up beside us through the years of watching them grow into adults. But how do you know what is normal and what should cause you some concern as a parent of teens, whether your own or simply teens you may be involved with. When does a parent need to intervene and possibly seek professional help? In the latest book, When Your Teenager Becomes...The Stranger In Your House by Gregory L. Jantz, Phd, along with Ann McMurray, and being a parent of both an 18 year old and a 12 year old, I knew I had to pick this one up. There is such insight into parenting for teens and preteens alike I had never considered and keeping the thoughts of "well, I remember when I was a teen..." just don't cut it raising them today. In today's generation of teens, there is so much more influencing them than ever before and that's why we can't parent them the same as we think they should be if we expect them to grow into the adults we hope to be proud of. Some of the topics you will find handy include the following: Why does my teenager seem to need me some days and hate me other days? How do hormones affect my teen's behavior - and what can I do about it? Is this "just a phase," or is it clinical depression? How can I get help when I see the warning signs of suicidal thoughts? How can I be a source of peace in my child's life, especially when I feel stormy too? This book will help you as a parent to see beyond the closed-room years of adolescence and open the door to hope. My favorite chapter was on what's called shedding skin. When a snake or lizard sheds its skin, the new growing skin cells separate from the old established skin cells, causing a marked change of appearance and producing an irritability that can result in increased snapping and hissing. Of course, reptiles shed their skin relatively quickly, so the analogy doesn't carry too far. Still, I think it's fairly parallel. Your teenager's nascent adult is separating from the confinement of childhood, causing a marked change in appearance and producing an irritability that can result in increased snapping and hissing. I think it's why teens often feel like their skin in crawling and fight against a sensation of being confined, wanting to burst free. And it's why parents often look at their teens as though they're something that just crawled out from under a rock. It even gives the reader what signs to look for and what to be concerned with. I received this book compliments of B & B Media Group and David C. Cook publishers for my honest review and really think that anyone who interacts with teens or has teens as a parent, need to pick up this wonderful and insightful resource. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and will be referring to this one often as a reminder, I am not crazy and these things are normal. It also stands as a resource to know when to look further into situations that my kids are involved with when it comes to their friends as well.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great resource for parents of teens, December 2, 2011
This review is from: The Stranger in Your House (Paperback)
You're the parent of an adolescent! You're heading into a challenging season of parenting. You need to stay in your teen's life and stay alert. Jantz has written this book for parents who sense something is wrong, who no longer recognize their teenager as the same child they raised, who realize the worsening relationship is not going to go away. Your child has entered a roller coaster time. Perhaps there is more to those ups and downs. Jantz helps parents understand what their teenager's behavior means, how to get them back on track, how to help them understand God's design for them, and how to identify if your teen needs professional help. Brain studies (fMRI), Jantz says, remind parents that teens are not "young adults." They are children still developing the ability to think and respond. (44) It is "unfair to apply adult standards of cognizance, reasoning, and maturity to teens..." (46) They are simply not there yet. Jantz helps parents understand mood swings. He notes that a shaky relationship with a teen is sometimes about the parent, not the teen. Jantz walks parents through the physical changes teens experience, including hormones. He identifies the developmental differences in girls and boys. He inspires parents to have their teens eat healthy, get plenty of exercise, take nutritional supplements, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest. He tells parents what to look for (such as cutting), indicating the teen is having serious problems. Regarding alcohol: "Teens have underdeveloped off switches, which makes even casual alcohol consumption a recipe for real disaster." (141) He helps parents understand how to encourage their teen to faith. He ends his book with suggestions for powerful parenting (trust, forgiveness, prayer, etc.). Jantz has provided activities and self-evaluation questions at the end of each chapter. Readers can record their thoughts and use this section as a springboard for discussion and further action. This would be a great book to study in a parenting class. It could also be read profitably by parents on their own. This is a book not just about teens but about parents too. Every parent of an adolescent would benefit from reading this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from David C Cook for the purpose of this review.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Answers to the Hard Questions Behind Teenage Depression, January 10, 2012
This review is from: The Stranger in Your House (Paperback)
Best-selling author Dr. Gregory L. Jantz collaborates with Ann McMurray in "The Stranger in Your House. The book is designed to help parents of teen recognize, understand, and overcome teenage depression by looking at those frequently asked perplexing questions faced while raising adolescents during this emotionally stormy time. Jantz offers positive advice for developing action steps by suggesting resources, addressing reflective questions, and providing insightful guidance from a Christian viewpoint. He helps the reader recognize the difference between a typical teenage phase and the symptoms of clinical depression. He discusses the hormonal effect on a teen's behavior. He addresses the signs indicating thoughts of suicide. As a recognized best-selling author, and leader in health care Dr. Gregg Jantz has the creditability and background experience to validate his qualifications for authoring this work. His writing is articulate, authoritative, professional, well researched and documented. I highly recommend "The Stranger in Your House" to every parent of pre-teens and teenagers. The book should be included on reading lists for students in college and seminary counseling classes, and as a resource for professional and lay counselor. It can also be an excellent curriculum choice for church parenting classes. A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own.
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