Critical Connection: A Practical Guide to Parenting Young Teens

Parenting 10-14 years olds can be the most challenging of all the stages of development. Middle school is a time of tremendous change for families. Critical Connection is for parents of young teens who have said: • "So much is changing. I just don’t get my daughter any more. I don't want her to slip away." • "My son wants to spend every moment on some sort of electronic screen." • "My daughter has these extreme mood swings and her social life is such a big deal now." • "I am not sure how to discipline my son now. He's not a little boy anymore." • "I don't know what to do about her smartphone." While this may seem overwhelming, the truth is that being a young teen can be wonderful. Kids at this stage of development may not admit it, but they need a stronger connection with their parents than ever before. Wise parents must seek after a better understanding of the age and try new ways to connect with and guide their children. Critical Connection offers practical advice that will help parents raise healthy young teens, inside and out. It discusses how to: o Connect with your middle school child o Build a healthy family life o Discipline with love o Create resiliency and independence in your child o Foster a healthy social life in middle school o Guide their academic, athletic, and artistic life o Handle the new media and electronic devices o Develop work ethic and financial sense Critical Connection is a parenting book that teaches parents how to build healthy, loving families that their 10-14-year-olds can rely on for safety, support, and unconditional love. People who loved Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages of Children and Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods will love this book.

Andy Kerckhoff is also the author of the blog Growing Up Well.