Amazon.com Review
Many parents dread the teen years, a time that can be filled with turmoil and experimentation. The best way for parents to get through these years? Communicate with your child.
How to Talk to Teens About Really Important Things is an A-to-Z of dos and don'ts for talking with your teenager about issues as complicated as drinking, violence, ethics and moral values, depression, prejudice, homosexuality, pregnancy, and pornography--in short, the "hard" stuff. Lightly walking the line of supportive education and strong parenting (while carefully avoiding the pitfalls of judgmentalism and blanket acceptance), the authors, Charles E. Schaefer, a psychologist, and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo, an English professor, give sample answers and discussion points for parents. In general, the advice for parents stresses empathy, education, and providing safe limits for teens, but the authors are not afraid to be firm. In the "Tattoos and Body Piercing" section, for instance, they provide information for parents unfamiliar with the procedure, then suggest what to say when putting your foot down ("I want you to know that you do not have my permission to get a tattoo or to get any part of your body pierced.... You are not allowed.") Throughout the book, the authors suggest ways to use media examples to educate children, and they provide a variety of helpful resources, including books, movies, and Web sites.
--Ericka Lutz
From Publishers Weekly
A look at this book's table of contents is alarmingAit must be bleak to come of age these days, when concerns can be tidily alphabetized from Alcohol and Driving to Violence. But veteran parent-guide authors Schaefer, a psychologist, and DiGeronimo know how to push the right buttons. They steadily work their way through every issue that has hit the headlines in the last five years; whether the topic is young women who give birth during the prom and abandon their babies in the bathroom, cults or gangs, it's covered here. Almost lost behind these sensational topicsAwhich, while worrisome, actually affect a small number of teensAis useful information about more common concerns. Alcohol and driving, divorce, prejudice, safety on the Internet and more are discussed in short chapters. And because the authors believe informed parents are more effective, they conclude each chapter with a list of references for further research. Useful strategies, such as the fine art of making your point indirectly and getting your kids to talk, are included, along with well-written dialogues that actually sound plausible. While there's nothing earth-shattering hereAmostly commonsense information readily available elsewhereAreaders will be grateful for the convenience of having varied information gathered into a single volume.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
