When Things Get Crazy with Your Teen: The Why, the How, and What to do Now, 1st Edition

Comedian Bill Cosby once declared that “all children are brain damaged.” If that's true for children, then imagine what can be said about teenagers. They seem to like conflict and love to challenge your values. They pick friends who raise your concerns and try drugs that raise your panic. They make stunning errors in judgment. They start to look really weird. They think you are really weird. While all teens get crazy a few times, this book will help you keep two problems from becoming twenty crises. You will discover what makes things better and what makes things worse when things get crazy with your teen. These include learning to: React calmly, powerfully, and effectively in the face of sixty-nine common teen crises Create and enforce standards and expectations without guard dogs or Spyware Understand exactly what's going on in adolescent brains--neurologically and psychologically--and how to communicate well with them “Be what you want to see” in your teen (modeling--the most powerful tool you own) Handle and use conflict as a teaching tool so you can stop fearing it Avoid punishments (which breed loud rebellion) and use consequences (which promote quiet, lifelong learning) Develop a respect-based relationship that will work better than any rule book at keeping your child safe With apologies to your parental stress, you must pardon the chaos in your adolescent's brain because it's being reshaped. Teenagers are transforming from children to adults by learning what they value, who they are, and how the world really works. At the same time, they're also boiling over with hormones and brain changes that push them to do everything you don't want them to do. As scary as that looks, understand it's just all part of Mother Nature's plan to grow your temporarily scary child into a permanently wonderful adult. Adolescence can be managed and survived---and even enjoyed--with the wisdom you will find in this book.