Advance Praise for A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens
Joani is down-to-earth, witty, and wisequalities that you will find in abundance throughout her wonderful book. A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens reads like a conversation with a good friend who is right there when your teen is struggling with all the usual and unusual things that parents face on a regular basis.
Dan Kiley, Director of Community and Cultural Program, The Fessenden School
With honesty, authenticity, and authority, Joani portrays the full landscape of teenage emotion, angst, conflicts, and challenges that confronts teens and their parents. Through insight, humor, real-life examples, and action scripts, Joani turns conflict into conversation, reproach into respect, and hassle into harmony. As the parents of three boys, now grown men, we only wish we could have been guided by this superb book.
Marlene Linkow, Teacher, and Peter Linkow, President Emeritus, Work-Family Directions, Inc.
Refreshingly honest and practical, Joani Geltman gets the inherent conflict in families as teenagers assert their independence. She effectively uses humor to defuse the loaded parent/teenage relationship. Great book full of practical strategies.
Mary E. Dolbear, Middle School Director, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
Every spring we invite Joani back to Brookline to speak to our incoming 9th grade parents, preparing them for their teen's transition to high school. How wonderful that all parents can now have the Joani advantage with this new book.
Mary Minott, LICSW, Social Worker, Brookline High School
We have had Joani speak at our 9th grade parent assembly for years. She talks with refreshing honesty to parents about the inner life of teens and the all-too-real fears of parents. A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens is direct, funny, and insightful. I rely on Joani's words a great deal both at school and at home with my own kids.
Paul DiDomenico, Assistant Principal, Algonquin Regional High School
What a terrific resource for parents of teenagers! Joani Geltman brings her extensive experience right down to practical solutions to everyday problems. Her vast understanding of the angst of adolescents will promote greater understanding and empathy for this challenging stage of life.
Caroline MacNichol, Director of the Middle School, Dana Hall School
For many years, Joani has been our beloved village maven on teenage-hood; now she can be your maven too through this book. Joani's unique blend of direct, no-holds-barred news from the front line, coupled with her thoughtful and wise strategies for successful parent/teen dynamics, makes A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens an essential tool in any parent's toolbox.
Kathleen Maguire, Community Engagement Manager, In Control Crash Prevention
Joani speaks the language of today's teens. She is uniquely able to help parents decipher their behaviors that both mystify us and make us crazy. Her entertaining delivery is half the fun. She helps us laugh at our insecurities and reassures us that all will be well at the end.
Nancy Doyle and Jennifer Sage, President and Vice President, Thayer Academy Parents Association
Joani Geltman has a gift for capturing the complexities of raising teenagers in our fast-paced culture and conveying practical and sensible advice. A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens has parents at turns laughing hysterically at familiar situations and reading hungrily for the solutions.
Michael Daly, Director, Resiliency For Life
a survival guide to parenting teens
talking to your kids about sexting, drinking, drugs, and other things that freak you out
Joani Geltman, MSW
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Geltman, Joani.
A survival guide to parenting teens : talking to your kids about sexting, drinking, drugs, and other things that freak you out / Joani Geltman.
pages cm
ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-3366-9 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 0-8144-3366-9 (pbk.)
1. Parent and teenager. 2. Parenting. I. Title.
HQ799.15.G45 2014
306.874dc23
ebook ISBN: 978-0-8144-3367-6
2013041885
2014 Joani Geltman
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
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Printing number
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
contents
foreword
I am not a perfect adult and I was not a perfect teen. Close. Perfect-ish.
I sometimes had an attitude, and frankly still do with my parents occasionally. I attribute this to knowing I am unconditionally loved by them, so it's okay to be my least charming self. (You're welcome Mom and Dad.) I procrastinated. I drank before I was 21. I threw horrible crying tantrums hating every piece of clothing I owned, leaving everything scattered on my floor at least a few times a week. I don't think I made my bed even once while I lived at home, and as you will read later in this book, I had a bit of a popsicle addiction, which included leaving the remaining sticks all over the house. But I am very pleased to report that as a 30-year-old woman, I've been almost entirely self-sufficient since I left home at 18, and I have a beautiful life that wouldn't have been possible without the emotional support of my parents. My bed gets made and my life is (more or less) in order. While there are no more popsicle sticks, there is usually one rogue pair of jeans on the floor that will never get put away, but guess what? Life goes on. Most importantly, even when I'm living 3,000 miles away, I still talk to my mom almost every day and get the majority of the most up-to-date news on my high school and college friends from her. I used to joke that my friends were only friends with me to get to Joani. As we're now all over 30 and she seems to see them more than I do, I wonder if this was really such a joke.
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