‘Tis the Season for Family Friction
Due to too much time blogging and not writing time restraints, I’m getting more choosy in the books I’m featuring here on Portrait. When I got an invite to participate in the blog tour For Parents Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice, I almost passed it up. But it was this that caught my eye:
Shaunti Feldhahn is known for unlocking the mysteries of relationships for men and women. Now she turns to a parent’s relationship with a child, particularly a child of the opposite sex. Drawing on the results of a nationwide survey of kids and teenagers, she explores questions such as:
- What do moms need to understand about the “tough and tender” boy who values respect over love?
- What do dads need to understand about their daughter’s need for affirmation?
- What are the six biggest pet peeves teens have about their parents?
Understanding the answers to these and other important questions can help parents make the holidays a time of celebration and unity, not strife and friction.
For Parents Only offers a unique look into a child’s mind and frees readers to communicate in healthier ways as they discover that understanding their kids may not be as complicated as they think.
What parent couldn’t use this book? And I’m giving away two copies to the mom or dad who can convince me why they need this book more than anyone else! So don’t be shy!
For Parents Only
by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice
MY REVIEW:
For Parents Only is a fun looking book, small enough to fit in your purse or computer bag. I was immediately drawn to the bright colors and fun photo, but it’s what’s inside that really impressed me.
The authors don’t claim to be experts in child psychology, but what they do offer is the insight they learned from interviewing hundreds of teens and preteens. Many of us have forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager, Shaunti and Lisa help us remember.
I’m not through the book yet, but what I love about it is you can read it in really short snippets, like waiting in line to pick up your kids from school, or waiting in the car at football practice, or waiting at dance lessons, etc.
So far the thing that stands out to me in this book is that kids don’t really mean to be rebellious or go against their parents, they just want to do what they want to do. And most of it stems from wanting freedom. As a Christian mom of a 13 year old, it got me thinking. How can I give my child the freedom he craves?
I also learned this interesting fact. “The frontal lobe of the brain-the area that allows for judgment of consequences and the control of impulses-doesn’t fully develop until after the teen years.” That statement alone has helped me not “go off” on my teen several times this week!
Needless to say, it’s a great little book that packs a lot of meat. Definitely worth sinking your teeth into! And I’m giving away two copies! Just let me know why you want/need this book!
To purchase the book go to Amazon.com: For Parents Only
Shaunti Feldhahn is the author of For Women Only and numerous other books, with sales totaling nearly one million copies. A nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and public speaker, Feldhahn earned her master’s degree at Harvard University. She and her husband, Jeff, have two young children. Lisa A. Rice is the associate editor of Christian Living magazine, the mother of two teenage girls, and a screenwriter and producer.
