cover image The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens: Strategies for Unlocking Your Child’s Full Potential

The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens: Strategies for Unlocking Your Child’s Full Potential

Douglas Haddad. Rowman & Littlefield, $18.95 trade paper (286p) ISBN 978-1-4422-5695-8

Haddad, a middle school teacher, shares insightful strategies for parenting teens and tweens. Many children don’t openly talk with their parents, so Haddad has designed his book to equip parents to be “supportive facilitators” who guide their children through life’s various challenges. Haddad addresses such difficult situations as a child overtaking parental power, talking back, or failing to follow rules. The book is divided into two main parts: “Child Unlimited” and “Child Limiting.” In part one, Haddad positively shares 10 strategies to help parents to raise “smart, successful, and self-disciplined” children, such as empathy and reflective listening, sharing power with one’s child, choosing the right parenting style for each individual child, and motivation. By contrast, part two focuses on 10 troublesome topics, such as bullying, sex, substance abuse, and depression. Each chapter includes practical exercises for parents to follow, as well as personal stories that poignantly illustrate key points. This is a crucial, thoughtful guide that will aid any adults with responsibility for mentoring children between 10 and 19. [em](Feb.) [/em]