Can I Have the Keys to the Car?: How Teens and Parents Can Talk About Things That Really Matter

Sometimes the most important things in life are the hardest to talk about. Whether it's the keys to the car or the keys to life, parents and teens need to find ways to talk to each other about tough issues, such as: safe driving; alcohol and drugs; sex; study habits and grades; honesty; schedules and curfews; family chores; self-discipline.

These issues often tear families apart. But talking about them doesn't have to be destructive---or boring. After interviewing hundreds of teens and parents, the father-and-son team of Terry and Sean Paulson have written a reassuring and practical book that helps teens and parents talk together and laugh together about life's tough issues.

Dr. Terry L. Paulson has been described as the "Will Rogers of management consulting." As a professional speaker and author, he helps leaders, teams, and the next generation of American workers to make change work. But few know his long background with youth, first as a teen youth worker with Young Life and many Southern California churches, and then as a licensed clinical psychologist. He knows the real world teens have to face as adults, on and off the job, and he also speaks their language today. He speaks to young and old alike on topics ranging from self-motivation to managing conflict and change. In addition to being a father and psychologist, he is author of the popular books, They Shoot Managers Don't They?, Paulson on Change, Secrets of Life Every Teen Needs to Know, Making Humor Work, Meditations for the Road Warrior, and 50 Tips for Speaking Life a Pro. He is the 1998--1999 president of the National Speakers Association. You can get more information on Dr. Paulson through his office in Agoura Hills, California. You may contact him at: Paulson and Associates Inc., P.O. Box 365, Agoura Hills, CA 91376-0365, DrTerryP@changecentral.com 818-991-5110.

Sean D. Paulson has survived most of the Paulson family lectures without any noticeable damage. He graduated from Agoura High School in 1990. After a short stint in the U.S. Army, he attended college at Pacific Christian College in Fullerton, California. He continues his studies at Saddleback College in Saddleback, California. He has worked as an assistant director with the YMCA and as a pre-school teacher in Mission Viejo. As a teen, he was president of the Southern California Synod of the Youth Ministries Committee for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He and his wife, Nicole, are both active in working with teens in the Youth Impact group at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Laguna Hills, California. With his father, Sean co-authored the book, Secrets of Life Every Teen Needs to Know. He is dedicated to helping teens and parents talk about the things that really matter.