Staying Connected to Your Teenager: How to Keep Them Talking to You and How to Hear What They're Really Saying

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by: Carol P. Woods (Collierville, TN United States)
on: Monday, 25-October-2010

This is a great book for anyone who raises a child through their adolescence. We all can see how our children change physically, but there are changes going on too that we cant see. An insightful book on connecting with your child. I especially like the real-life stories. They appear to be written just for me.

by: C. Gemon (United States)
on: Monday, 4-October-2010

This book offers insights that allowed me to see things through the eyes of my teen. Great buy. Highly recommend it for anyone living with a teenager.

by: C. Gemon (United States)
on: Monday, 4-October-2010

This book offers insights that allowed me to see things through the eyes of my teen. Great buy. Highly recommend it for anyone living with a teenager.

by: P. H. Sydnor (United States)
on: Tuesday, 23-February-2010

I raised three kids and then re-married and am now helping to raise two more. This book brought back to memory several of the things I did right with my own kids and where I am now missing the boat with my bonus kids. I have not finished reading it but insisted that my spouse read it first. I like that it teaches that you can be the parent yet have meaningful conversations with your kids. The one draw back is that it is written for older teens that have more freedoms. However, if the foundation is in place at a younger age, it will continue through life.

by: E. March (Chicago, IL)
on: Wednesday, 6-January-2010

We seen this guy live at Barrington, IL high school, he very funny but more importantly right on the money with great facts and very helpful tips and suggests that we are implementing.

by: Allan M. Lees (Novato, CA USA)
on: Tuesday, 16-June-2009

My daughter is nearly twelve and for the last few months our relationship has been deteriorating steadily. Shes such a different personality from me that I found my intuition - which has always helped me greatly with my son - was of no use at all. All I knew was that on a daily basis I was failing as a parent and neither of us were having any fun.

Staying Connected To Your Teenager has been extremely helpful in providing some perspective and some useful suggestions. Like many other books of this type, often the greatest benefit comes from stepping back a little and considering events from a slightly new perspective. When I disagree with the author I find myself having to think through my own approach carefully, which is very beneficial. And when the author seems to be on solid ground I feel as if Ive been given a key to the door that has until now barred the way between my daughter and me.

As a European Im still puzzled as to why American teenagers seem to be so much more difficult to handle than teenagers in other cultures. Perhaps it is a combination of an extended childhood, the lack of serious responsibilities, and an entertainment-oriented lifestyle in which if things are not effortlessly fun they are automatically boring. But whatever the underlying causes of American Teenage Malaise, my daughter is 100% American raised and consequently I need to understand how to be a more effective parent in this context. This book has provided me with several useful approaches and has led to me developing several more as a result of thinking through matters in light of the authors observations.

I do wish there was an alternative to the standard American approach to sexuality but the innate assumptions of the author, made explicit, have helped me to understand a little more how US culture sees this area of human activity and therefore, by extension, how my daughter will increasingly see it as she grows up. I may not like it, but I need to understand it and react accordingly, even while I yearn for some way that she could spend a few years elsewhere to round out her understanding and provide a more adult context for this important part of human life.

I can recommend this highly to anyone struggling with the teenage years, even if - as is my case - the children in question arent even officially teenagers yet.

by: Kimberly Mercer (Cypress, TX)
on: Monday, 9-February-2009

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! I have found SO many useful pointers in this book! It doesnt state the same platitudes over and over about your teenager. It gives you practical advice on when opportunities arise and how to read your teenagers moods. This book has helped me in SO many ways to stay connected with my teenage daughters! I now know when to shut up and when to give feedback. I know when to look for opportunities and when to not freak out because theyre not opening up to me.

by: Eva M. Gallegos (San Marcos, Texas)
on: Monday, 19-January-2009

Still reading this book, but overall a great book to reference when experiencing the gap between teens and parents. Teens are a species unto themselves and understanding them is essential to raising a healthy teen. This book gives examples of what to do when teens start to turn away, what that means and how to deal with it in a healthy manner.

by: K. Fey (United States)
on: Wednesday, 7-January-2009

Very good book. Full of information & examples of how to communicate with your teenager. I initially found this book at the library & checked it out. After reading it once, I decided I need to have my own copy for reference. This has been a good investment.

by: William J. Davenport (Florida)
on: Sunday, 26-October-2008

The info in the book was good but it could have been condensed in 100 pages. Writers sometimes get winded; just state the info and forget the meaningless stories. I did realize from the book that my son and I do have a great relationship... thanks for reaffirming the relationship.