"Think you can 'create' the perfect child? Dream on! Then stop
dreaming and start reading this book. We can't control our kids' life
trajectories, but we can create relationships with them that are
genuine, warm, and encouraging. Here's your road map!"
--Lenore Skenazy, president of Let Grow and founder of the Free-Range
Kids movement
Want to have better relationships with the teens and young adults in
your life? Backed by research, this practical, engaging guide by a
Harvard-trained clinical psychologist will help you connect and
communicate.
A great relationship is founded on mutual respect and
understanding--especially as young people grow into independence and
relate to their parents in a new way. Learn how to connect with your
young adult children in this practical guide using techniques that focus
on not on inducing compliance but rather on respecting their thoughts
and understanding their motivations.
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Discover why parents get on their older kids' nerves and why young
adults tend to dismiss parents' input.
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Understand how to suppress your parental "righting reflex" - the
almost irresistible urge to help by offering reassurance and advice.
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Learn what young people really think and feel, to help them figure out
to navigate their decisions and dilemmas competently on their own.
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Handle conflict in a way that is productive and nurtures the
relationship.
A five-step program based on Motivational Interviewing gives parents
simple take-aways to have conversations about any topic, whether it is
curfews, sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, or college applications. Each
chapter includes sample scripts and concludes with practical takeaways
to get parents started immediately on having better conversations--and
more rewarding relationships--with their young adults.
