1-2-3 Magic Teen: Communicate, Connect, and Guide Your Teen to Adulthood

by Thomas Phelan

Overview

Help your teens grow into the very best versions of themselves!

From rule-breaking and risk-taking to defensive communication and disrespect, parenting a teenager can feel like modern warfare—but it doesn't have to be that way. In 1-2-3 Magic Teen, Thomas W. Phelan, an internationally renowned expert in child discipline and mental health, explains how to better understand your teenager, which problems are not worth fighting over, and why your child's behavior likely matches the definition of a normal adolescent! With helpful, straightforward advice backed up by research and parent-tested strategies, 1-2-3 Magic Teen will help you establish a calmer, more respectful home and family life and show you how to guide your teenager into healthy, functional young adulthood.

This book offers practical strategies to address common issues such as attitude, independence, technology use, academic pressures, and social life. Dr. Phelan provides guidance on fostering open communication, cultivating emotional maturity, and supporting your teen's growth into a responsible, resilient adult.

You'll also find tools and advice tailored for the challenges of a teen lifestyle, including:

• Forgetting to do chores
• Absence in family outings
• Drop in grades
• Missed curfews
• Parties and drinking
• Work responsibilities

Whether you're trying to navigate daily communication challenges or the larger issues of adolescence, 1-2-3 Magic Teen provides the tools you need to maintain a positive relationship with your teenager and help them navigate their path to adulthood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492637899
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	11/01/2016
Edition description:	4th ed.
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	194,030
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Dr. Thomas W. Phelan is an internationally renowned expert, author, and lecturer on child discipline and Attention Deficit Disorder. A registered Ph.D. clinical psychologist, he appears frequently on radio and TV. Dr. Phelan practices and works in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: Meet the Snub xi

Part I Straight Thinking 1

Chapter 1 Appreciating Adolescence 3

Chapter 2 What's Normal? 9

Chapter 3 Risky Business 17

Chapter 4 Diagnosing Your Own Reactions 25

Chapter 5 Your New Job Description 31

Part II Don't Take It Personally 37

Chapter 6 Making Sense of the Snub 39

Chapter 7 "Don't Take It Personally" in Action 46

Part III Manage and Let Go 55

Chapter 8 Six Kids: Intervention Examples 57

Chapter 9 Establishing House Rules 61

Chapter 10 Managing the Big Four Risks 68

Chapter 11 Your Teens Have Their MBAs! 83

Chapter 12 Possible Intervention Roles 89

Part IV Stay m Touch 107

Chapter 13 What Not to Do: The Four Cardinal Sins 109

Chapter 14 What To Do 117

Part V Take Care of Yourself 129

Chapter 15 The Midlife Parent 131

Chapter 16 How to Take Care of Yourself 140

Part VI Relax and Enjoy the Movie 145

Chapter 17 Boomerang Kids 147

Chapter 18 The Future 151

Appendix: Managing Other Issues 155

Index 166

About the Author 175

Editorial Reviews

"Few authors are as successful as Phelan and for good reason. His guidance is consistently sound, on target, and presented in an upbeat, practical way." — Library Journal - STARRED

"A really refreshing book and certainly worth looking at if you too have kids who are approaching their teens." — Dominique’s Desk

"1-2-3 Magic Teen is simply the clearest, most pragmatic guide you will ever need for raising your teenagers, and guiding them through these rocky years and into adulthood. Dr. Phelan has a keen knack for making the complicated manageable, and nowhere is that more important than in raising teenagers. Through this user-friendly, easy-to-digest book, you will learn the challenges and joys you will face with your teens, and gain a full understanding of their shifting emotional and physical reactions. Dr. Phelan guides you to better understand, connect with, and empower your teen and, in the process, yourself. You will learn when to step in, and when to step back. As a teen expert and parent myself, I refer to this book often, and encourage my clients to do the same." — Dr. John Duffy, # 1 best-selling author of The Available Parent, regular parenting expert, Steve Harvey and WGN Radio 

From the Publisher

★ 09/01/2016
The esteemed Phelan (1-2-3 Magic) takes his 1-2-3 advice into the teen years, warning mom and dad that their job description is about to change. While appreciative that parents aren't fond of "the snub," Phelan argues that "our society has not yet found a way to deal with the fact that prolonged dependence is insulting to young people," resulting in teens who "will regularly feel irritation toward older folks and a sense of alienation from the society they are a part of." Phelan suggests that a worsening of adult-adolescent relationships increases the chances of kids getting hurt and asks parents to examine their own upbringings and remember as adults that rejection + risk = irritation + anger. VERDICT Few authors are as successful as Phelan and for good reason. His guidance is consistently sound, on target, and presented in an upbeat, practical way.

Library Journal