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

by Laura Scribner Kastner (Author), Jennifer F. Wyatt (Author) "EARNESTLY, angrily, pleadingly - in as many tones of voice as the light spectrum has colors - our adolescents ask us to trust them..." (more)
Key Phrases: holy triad, problematic risk, adolescent clinic, African American, Sidel Academy, Castle Crags (more...)

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.

Product Description
Using the stories of real families, two therapists try to answer the age-old question of how to best raise a teenager, discussing such topics as what limits should be placed upon them and how parents need to deal with the stresses of their own lives in regards to their children.

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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: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #567,443 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

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

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?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.