I just finished reading Kevin Leman's book on raising teenagers. It's called Adolescence Isn't Terminal (It just feels like it). As I have a 13-year-old son, it seemed an appropriate read and it had been loaned and recommended to me by a friend.
The book is a good mix of anecdotes, statistics and practical advice for building a solid foundational relationship with your kids before and during their teenage years. Dr. Leman is a parent and a counselor who offers a definite conservative worldview, but doesn't come across as preachy. There was only one reference to a particular Bible verse that I remember, but the majority of his premise is definitely centered on a traditional Judeo-Christian values system. Specific topics included how to talk to your kids about sex so they'll have a healthy view of it but abstain until marriage. He also mentions conversations to have with your kids when they don't want to go to church or synagogue with the family.
Overall, I found it helpful to see examples of what is considered normal teenage behavior and what constitutes behavior that should concern or alarm parents.
Aside from the hype over how humorous the stories are and the occasional name-dropping of Dr. Leman's "good friends" in the sports and ministry world, I thought the book was both helpful and encouraging. I would highly recommend it for parents approaching those potentially rocky years of adolescence.
Glad you found it useful. One of the sections I found most helpful was the idea of noticing when your kids have too much going on - short term - and giving them some slack on their household duties. It saved MANY yelling matched in our home and felt very respectful.
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