Grown and Flown


Book Description

PARENTING NEVER ENDS. From the founders of the #1 site for parents of teens and young adults comes an essential guide for building strong relationships with your teens and preparing them to successfully launch into adulthood The high school and college years: an extended roller coaster of academics, friends, first loves, first break-ups, driver’s ed, jobs, and everything in between. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart? Enter the co-founders of Grown and Flown, Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington. In the midst of guiding their own kids through this transition, they launched what has become the largest website and online community for parents of fifteen to twenty-five year olds. Now they’ve compiled new takeaways and fresh insights from all that they’ve learned into this handy, must-have guide. Grown and Flown is a one-stop resource for parenting teenagers, leading up to—and through—high school and those first years of independence. It covers everything from the monumental (how to let your kids go) to the mundane (how to shop for a dorm room). Organized by topic—such as academics, anxiety and mental health, college life—it features a combination of stories, advice from professionals, and practical sidebars. Consider this your parenting lifeline: an easy-to-use manual that offers support and perspective. Grown and Flown is required reading for anyone looking to raise an adult with whom you have an enduring, profound connection.




The Great American Staycation


Book Description

Layoffs are rampant, gas prices are volatile, airlines are cutting flights, and Americans are feeling the economic pinch of a recession. As much as we hate it in this country of big dreams, big cars and Big Macs, we have to find a way to cut back. For many Americans, that means turning the Great American Vacation into a “staycation,” which is the big buzzword of the year, having appeared in articles everywhere from www.CNN.com to Newsweek. But what does a staycation really mean? Newspaper humor columnist and frequent staycationer Matt Wixon shares with readers the definition of a staycation as well as: Rules for a successful, satisfying vacation at home or nearby Motivation and encouragement for people who can’t afford the big, traditional vacation Ways to make the most of time off from work Strategies and experiences from more than a dozen staycationers, as well as hundreds of Internet links and specific ideas to help plan a vacation in your hometown. From alternatives to destination theme parks to making the most of out local amenities to reigniting the flame in a relationship, Americans will find this guide a humorous and invaluable guide to staying home on vacation.




Unschooling To University


Book Description

School is one option for education; homeschooling is the second, and unschooling is the third. Many parents are frustrated by the school system, perhaps because of bullying, crowded classrooms, and outdated, dull, online courses. Disengaged learners that have no say in their coerced curriculum tend to act out, tune out, or drop out. Education must change and unschooling is the fastest-growing alternative method of learning. Two decades ago, students registered with their local school based on their house address. Now, with the internet, students are borderless. Learning can occur anywhere, anytime, anyway and from anyone-including self-taught. Self-directing their education, unschoolers learn through: - Play - Projects - Reading - Volunteering - Video games - Sports - Mentorship - Travel - Life This book explores the path of 30 unschooled children who self-directed all or part of their education and were accepted by universities, colleges, and other postsecondary schools. Most have already graduated. What children need most are close relationships-parents, teachers, siblings, relatives, coaches, and mentors within a wider community, not just within an institutional school. Educational content is everywhere. Caring relationships are not. Families that embrace unschooling, do not have to choose between a quality education and a relaxed, connected family lifestyle. They can have both.




Feeding the Mouth That Bites You


Book Description

"There are times when parenting seems nothing more than feeding the mouth that bites you." - Peter De VriesParenting teenagers can be hard. Maybe you already know that. The question is, does adolescence really need to be a frustrating time for parents and teenagers? If your child isn't a teenager yet, can you make preparations now to avoid many of the pitfalls parents of adolescents go through? With so much information and differing viewpoints, how can a parent really know that they are "doing it right?"In Feeding The Mouth That Bites You, Dr. Ken Wilgus outlines a clear and practical path through the confusion of parenting adolescents in today's world. Engaging, accessible, and funny, Feeding The Mouth That Bites You summarizes Dr. Wilgus's best teachings on how to parent teenagers, collected over twenty-five years of work with adolescents and their families as well as two decades of teaching on parenting.Though trends and technology will always change, the adolescent need for autonomy remains the one foundational issue that is the largest obstacle to a healthy parent/teenager relationship. Feeding The Mouth That Bites You explains this need and the effect it has on a wide range of teenage behavior. Dr. Wilgus clearly outlines his method for safely and effectively meeting this need: Planned Emancipation. Once parents clearly understand adolescents' needs and know how to respond, parenting a teenager becomes much less frustrating. Even their teenagers join in to help out!Knowing what your teenager needs and being able to provide for that need is truly the art of Feeding The Mouth That Bites You.




How to Survive Your Teenager


Book Description

How to Survive Your Teenager offers words of wisdom and entertaining stories on teenagers from the real 'pros' — everyday parents across the country who have raised a teenager and survived to tell their story. A fun and quick read for harried parents on the go, the book is jam-packed with hundreds of quick tips and great advice on a variety of subjects, including home life, school, friends and peer pressure, media and entertainment, sex, and drinking and drugs.




Young House Love


Book Description

This New York Times bestselling book is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up your home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts and millions of hits per month on their blog YoungHouseLove.com, Sherry and John Petersik are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Packed with 243 tips and ideas—both classic and unexpected—and more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.




Unless I Marry


Book Description




40 Answers for Teens' Top Questions


Book Description

Parents are often encouraged to talk with their kids, but they don’t always feel equipped to deal with these difficult topics off the cuff, right? 40 Answers to Teen’s Top Questions is packed with the most common teen questions, solutions, biblical advice, plus parenting tips that are laid out clearly in an easy-to-read way that your teen can read on their own or with you! You already know not to lecture your teen, but it can be hard to reason with them when emotions run high, so where do you turn? From peer pressure and bullies to zits and dating, parents will discover practical ways to have open and honest conversations with their teens while equipping them to navigate toward early adulthood. Includes— 40 real & relevant topics to teens & preteensEach question opens with real comments from an adolescent to other adolescentsStraightforward answers from an expert addressed to teens with honesty and humorEach topic includes practical exercises to "Talk It Out," "Act It Out," and “Think It Out""For Parents" section on each topic addresses concerns and gives ideas and options to create open communicationand more! Get the confidence you need to answer your teen’s tough questions and keep communication open. Parents and other adults will be amazed at the mutual respect and trust you’ve built between you and your teen. You know your teen is going to be getting these answers about puberty, how to grow up, and more, from their friends, the internet, and other adults, but they want and need to hear these answers from you! This guide will help you— Communicate clearly & effectively listen to your teen to build trust, respect, and a lasting bondEasily bring up hot teen topics so your teen feels free to openly shareGain the confidence to equip your teen with everything they need to make godly choices every dayand so much more! 40 Answers to Teens' Top Questions is perfect for counseling, parents’ groups, youth ministry leaders, church giveaways, and more!




Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way


Book Description

Divorce is painful and confusing. Perhaps now more than ever, you want to give your child all the love, support, and guidance he or she needs, but everything seems harder and more complicated. Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way can help. Based on Gary Neuman's phenomenally successful Sandcastles program, which has helped more than fifty thousand children cope with divorce, this warm, empathetic guide shows you: How to build a co-parenting relationship--even when you think you can't When you or your child should see a therapist Age-appropriate scripts for addressing sensitive issues What to do when a parent moves away How to stop fighting with your ex-spouse How to navigate the emotional turmoil of custody and visitation How to help your child deal with change How to cope with kids' common fears about separation How to introduce significant others into the family and help your child cope with a new stepfamily More than a hundred pieces of artwork from children of divorce will help you appreciate how kids perceive the experience. Dozens of special activities and fun exercises will help you communicate and get closer to your child. This guide shows you that divorce need not be an inevitable blot on children's lives, but an opportunity for them to grow and strengthen the bonds with their parents.




Teen Spirit


Book Description

Teen Spirit offers a novel and provocative perspective on how we came to be living in an age of political immaturity and social turmoil. Award-winning author Paul Howe argues it's because a teenage mentality has slowly gripped the adult world. Howe contends that many features of how we live today—some regrettable, others beneficial—can be traced to the emergence of a more defined adolescent stage of life in the early twentieth century, when young people started spending their formative, developmental years with peers, particularly in formal school settings. He shows how adolescent qualities have slowly seeped upward, where they have gradually reshaped the norms and habits of adulthood. The effects over the long haul, Howe contends, have been profound, in both the private realm and in the public arena of political, economic, and social interaction. Our teenage traits remain part of us as we move into adulthood, so much so that some now need instruction manuals for adulting. Teen Spirit challenges our assumptions about the boundaries between adolescence and adulthood. Yet despite a cultural system that seems to be built on the ethos of Generation Me, it's not all bad. In fact, there has been an equally impressive rise in creativity, diversity, and tolerance within society: all traits stemming from core components of the adolescent character. Howe's bold and suggestive approach to analyzing the teen in all of us helps make sense of the impulsivity driving society and encourages us to think anew about civic reengagement.