Sara Villanueva - Angst of Adolescence: How to Parent Your Teen and Live to Laugh About It

Villanueva, a developmental psychologist, uses an informal, conversational style in this helpful parenting book, sharing anecdotes from her own experiences as a mother of four who is currently raising two teens, as well as up-to-date information on brain development. Villanueva reminds readers that risky behaviors by teens reflect the fact that their brains are not yet fully developed. She also warns against drawing a line in the sand as teens are likely to respond to forbidden fruits with rebellion. With its encouraging tone, Villanuevas friendly primer will help parents learn to appreciate, enjoy, and accept their teens as they are, while patiently negotiating the challenges and changes inherent in adolescence.

Publishers Weekly

With humor and great warmth, Sara Villanueva tackles issues that can seem unsettling or bewildering to most parents. Her voice is reassuring, and by the end of the book you know youre not only up for the challenge of parenting a teen, but that youre not in it alone.

Ami Albernaz, contributor to the Boston Globe

While reading The Angst of Adolescence, I loved Saras conversational voice, assurance, examples, information, and humor. I cant imagine any parent of a teen who wouldnt enjoy and profit from this mix of professional and personal insight.

Carl Pickhardt, PhD, author of the blog and book, Surviving Your Childs Adolescence

Sara Villanueva does a masterful job of balancing the sound advice of an experienced parent with the scientific literature of adolescent development and parenting. She strikes a tone that is both authoritative and completely conversational. I feel better equipped to tackle my sons upcoming transition into adolescence and wish this kind of parenting instruction manual were available sooner.

Russell Frohardt, professor of psychology and behavioral neuroscience, St. Edwards University

Sara Villanueva brings to light what so many parents of teens are feeling. By providing humorous anecdotes mixed with sound, research-based advice, all delivered in a relaxed and relatable style, she informs and reassures parents of the wonderful world of adolescence and how they can learn to laugh about it.

Vicki Hoefle, author of The Straight Talk on Parenting and the best-selling Duct Tape Parenting

The Angst of Adolescence will help every parent understand how to go through this difficult stage without losing their mind. According to Sara Villanueva, you could even have some fun along the way!

Jennifer Kerzil, PhD, associate professor of psychology, Universit Catholique de lOuest, Angers, France

Such a remarkable and much needed book! Dr. Villanuevas voice and personal stories, combined with her professional expertise, set the tone and made me laugh out loud! As a dean of students at a liberal arts university, and as a parent of a sixteen-year-old, the wisdom shared in this book is just in time and speaks to the tumultuous times of transition that our teens experience and that we, as parents, encounter too. Her insight is smart, authentic, and extremely hopeful!

Lisa L. Kirkpatrick, PhD, associate vice president for student affairs/dean of students, St. Edwards University

Sara Villanueva, PhD

To the people who fill my days with absolute madness
and insanity, set my hair on fire, and worry me incessantly,
yet always fill me with immense joy, pride, the greatest
sense of inspiration and purpose my children.

For Susan, Thomas, Sophia, & Gabriel

I am truly blessed to be your Mother.

Ah, the teen years: the time when your child always has to have the last word; when you observe that she is in constant angst, and, of course, when you regularly get the classic eye rolling with major attitude. You love your child more than anything, I know. But somethings different, right? Parents often wonder, What happened to my sweet little boy who loved to snuggle? or, What happened to my affectionate little girl who let me brush her hair and asked to brush mine?

Around the time your child begins the second decade of life, things start to change in a fairly dramatic way. She is entering the developmental period that has been referred to with terms like Storm and Stress and the Terrible Teens. Adolescence is a time of important transition for both child and parents. Some telltale signs that your child is transitioning from childhood to adulthood include: pubertal development, demonstrated by obvious physical and biological changes; cognitive development, shown by teens starting to think differently and beginning to challenge the way others think and act; and social development, demonstrated by teens desire to make decisions about who they spend their time with and how they want to define themselves. My goal in writing this book is to help parents navigate some of the issues that come up during this exciting and sometimes difficult time. Parenting is hard, and parenting teens is even harder. So, why not band together and share information that helps us all stay informed and maybe even helps each of us find some relief in knowing there are others out there experiencing fallout from the infamous teenage angst. Here are some of the questions Ill provide answers for in the chapters of this book: