When I was a new parent, I could find dozens of books—hundreds of books—that were geared toward helping me figure out how to quiet a colicky baby, what to expect in terms of child development and all sorts of other parenting tips and tools. They were abundant and I probably turned to those books and manuals on a daily basis in those early years. Now that my kids are nearly grown, I seem to be on my own. The shelves at the book store are pretty sparse when it comes to parenting books…
Sure there are books on troubled teens and a few books with suggestions on boundary-setting and such—but I’m thinking by the time kids are seventeen, eighteen and young adults, either the “experts” have lost interest in trying to figure out the mind of the teen, or teenagers are considered so undesirable that everyone wants to just bury their heads in the sand until it’s over—until they blossom into fluttering butterflies and head out into the world of adulthood.
As many of you know, I am actually enjoying these teenage years—even if I am operating without a manual. And I’m not about to bury my head in the sand. The way I see it, we’ve come too far now, my kids and I, for me to abandon ship. Still, it would be nice if there were shelves and shelves of books for the parents of teens—just like all those “your child from birth to three” books. It would be great if there were abundant parenting classes geared toward those of us wading in a house full of hormones—classes on how to help your child cope with heart break, choosing a career, wrestling with authority, etc. We may be able to find them here and there, maybe, but overall, the resources for parents of teenagers are pretty lacking!
Also: I’m Involved But I Can’t Do It For You
Letting Them Really BE Teenagers
Who Am I? The Task of the Teenager