A Useful Book: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens by Douglas Haddad

by MK French

The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens is described as "an insightful and inspiring book to help parents raise children in today's world," and it certainly delivers on that promise.
Amazon affiliate links are unsed in this post. An advance review copy was provided in for an honest review.

February 2017; Rowman & Littlefield
9781442256958; ebook, print (286 pages)
nonfiction, adolescent psychology

Technology has changed exponentially, and former guidelines can't always keep up with that. Douglas Haddad opens the book with an anecdote that outlines the experience he has with this topic, because teens' and tweens' needs change quickly.

It then outlines the basic skills that all children need to succeed: problem solving skills, communication skills, and coping mechanisms. These are definitely skills that all people need, not just children, but are very difficult to outline or teach.

The book goes into parenting skills and goals that help enhance those three core survival skills, and there are examples and anecdotes to outline his point. It's put forth in a very straightforward and down to earth way, without seeming condescending for the parents reading the book.

He also references psychological theory and explains it in that same straightforward manner, with everyday examples that are easy to understand.

Sample conversations to approach situations, like discussing installing a tracking app on a phone, are helpful for parents to reference. Even the common problem of getting kids out of bed in the morning is referenced in chapter 8, with suggestions for solutions and easily enforced consequences. Chapter 10 has a great outline for creating reachable goals and meeting them.

The second half of the book tackles the difficult topics, including bullying, sex, drugs, alcohol, depression, suicide. Each topic contains suggestions for what to look for as warning signs, how to broach the topic, and strategies to help the child through the problem.

A book like this is useful for any parent in this day and age.

Buy The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and golden retriever.

Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.