Two of the Best Books for Parents of Teens to Read Right Now
Why aren’t there more books for parents of teens? I mean is there a harder stage? I don’t think so. That’s why, when I found these two resources for Parents of Teens I was happy to share them with the world.
I received product for consideration here. Post also contains affiliate links.
The title, Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety by Dr. John Duffy snagged my attention immediately when I saw it recently from Mango Publishing.
Anxiety, check.
Teen daughters, check.
Could this be more relevant to my kids, my life as a parenting and my current situation?
Table of Contents
What is the New Teen?
The new teen is social media driven, passionate about causes, often extremely talented and informed. They are also anxious and in need of relationships, patience and being seen, while also knowing there are boundaries.
Parenting Teens
Oh sister, parenting teens is a bumpy ride, isn’t it? I mean I know people are always saying – I wish that babies came with a manual. But what about teens?
There’s nothing simple about the teen stage at all. So, I picked up this resource recently from Mango Publishing and thought I’d give it a read to see if any of the content applied or could elevate our parenting skills here.
Don’t Judge the Book by Its Foreword
My first impression was the title. Captivating. Relevant and Attention getting.
Second impression was the Foreword, written by Giuliana and Bill Rancic, celebrities. Honestly, that threw me for a loop momentarily because they have a young child not near the teen stage. So, it almost felt unnecessary. Glad I pressed on anyways.
What if You Had a Pocket Psychologist?
So, what if you had an author, clinical psychologist and podcaster on speed dial? Consider this book Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety that sort of resource, an essential on any list of must have books for parents of teens.
Dr. John Duffy makes the case for teens now in this current Generation Z category as more connected than ever before which is simply a part of life. Stop fighting that constantly and recognize that they are connected and multi-tasking while online and you can set a big stressor free from your relationship with your teen.
That small nugget has freed me up to stop fighting them at every meal when snapping their friends before they eat seems like a ridiculous waste of time to me, but is genuinely a part of their culture.
The Age of Anxiety
Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety by Dr. John Duffy is the most helpful and insightful resource for parenting teens that I have come across in years. It is incredibly relevant to my life with two teenage daughters who struggle with anxiety and also are immersed in social media.
Learning to See Your Teen in Context
Also, it is helping me to realize I need not stress quite so much about the amount of time they spend on social media. The book doesn’t shy away from hard topics such as drug use and abuse, vaping, sex, consent, gender and more. Dr. Duffy does argue that teens should have an old school alarm clock in their rooms instead of a phone.
The parenting book Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety by Dr. John Duffy covers a wide range of topics that are more than relevant. From how to respond to depression, how to understand gender identity and what to do if you hear suicidal talk, there’s so much substance here that this is sure to become a parenting staple.
Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety: A Complete Guide to Your Child’s Stressed, Depressed, Expanded, Amazing Adolescence by Dr. John Duffy
From the Publisher
Learn about the “New Teen” and how to adjust your parenting approach. Kids are growing up with nearly unlimited access to social media and the internet, and unprecedented academic, social, and familial stressors. Starting as early as eight years old, children are exposed to information, thought, and emotion that they are developmentally unprepared to process. As a result, saving the typical “teen parenting” strategies for thirteen-year-olds is now years too late.
Dr. John Duffy offers urgent advice for parents of teens. This book is a new and necessary guide that addresses the hidden phenomenon of the changing teenage brain.
Dr. Duffy, a nationally recognized expert in parenting for nearly twenty-five years, offers this book as a guide for parents raising children who are growing up quickly and dealing with unresolved adolescent issues that can lead to anxiety and depression.
Buy it Now – > https://amzn.to/38lssoE
High Fives All Around
Parenting any stage child is rewarding. But it’s also often thankless, especially when you are in the thick of it. My teen spied this title in my office and said – HUH, well that’s a book that sounds narcissistic.
What if You Had a Pocket Cheerleader?
Somehow it’s okay to give shoutouts and kudos to other groups for doing a good job, but not to parents? I don’t buy that. One of my favourite early parenting moments was when someone random in a pharmacy where I was shopping with my new baby girl said to me: “You are doing a great job there, Mom!”
Do you know how many times over the time of raising a child, youth and teen, that I have heard kind words like that? Um, maybe ten times total. It’s easier for others to pick at what you are doing as a parent in a judgmental way, even relatives do that.
Celebrate The Best Things Parents Do
Wouldn’t it be nice if we simply all occasionally took a moment to recognize other parents for what they do well and shouted: Hey, great job at this specific task, Mom or Dad!
The Best Things Parents Do: Ideas & Insights from Real-World Parents by Susan Kohl
Parents are doing a better job than they think they are. With that premise in mind, author Susan Kohl sends up a bunch of shoutouts to parenting successes. I like the positivity ion this book and while it’s not marketed outright as one of the resource books for parents of teens, I feel this one is more than worth reading at any stage.
From the Publisher
Kohl has been a parent watcher for more than 30 years and she knows what parents do well. A kind of Mr. Rogers for parents, Susan Kohl’s The Best Things Parents Do is a “best practices” book that parents will turn to again and again.
Add it to your night table or your shelf featuring Books for Parents of Teens.
Buy it Now – > https://amzn.to/2NLEBKb
Each chapter focuses on one topic and contains stories and vignettes from Kohl’s personal experience, relevant statistics and psychological truths, strategies to use, and things to think about or actions to take. Kohl knows that when parents begin to pay attention to what they do well, they can do more of it channeling their children’s energy into constructive endeavours, modelling positive behaviour and discouraging negative behaviour, and honouring their children’s feelings as well as their own.