Lifecoach Your Teens: Five Principles to Help Your Kids Thrive

Parenting a teenager may be the toughest job you'll ever have, says Roger Cross.

But it is also one of the most important. Research confirms that parents are still the biggest influence on their children. And the way you parent your teenager in turn influences how your teen handles issues like goals, balance, anger and failure.

Drawing on more than twenty-five years of experience working with Youth For Christ and raising two teens of his own, Cross unpacks the essential characteristics of a good coach and introduces five principles that will transform your relationship with your teen.

Cross shows you how to help your teenager develop goals, find balance in life, fail "forward" and cope with anger. Most importantly, he shows you how to come alongside your teenager to offer challenge, support and guidance in preparation for adult life.

Roger Cross is president emeritus of Youth for Christ/U.S.A. His experience with Youth for Christ includes two years in Kansas City Y.F.C., fifteen years as executive director of Ventura County Y.F.C., nine years as executive director of Denver Area Y.F.C. and nearly fourteen years as president/C.E.O. He served two terms as field trustee on the Y.F.C. National Board, and he received the President's Award for Outstanding Y.F.C. Executive Director in America. As an advocate for youth, he is often interviewed in print publications and on radio and television broadcasts. He has done graduate work at Fuller Theological Seminary, and he is an ordained minister through the Missionary Church of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He also currently serves on the board of John Brown University. In addition to writing, speaking and adjunct college teaching, Roger is heading up an effort to expand the outreach of Children's Music Academy (C.M.A.) which he owns and operates with his wife. Currently, C.M.A. is in over 20 locations in the United States. In 2006, Roger and his wife were selected Alumni of the Year by John Brown University.