Teen Tips: A Practical Survival Guide For Parents With Kids 11-19

The updated and revised edition of Tom McMahon's informative collection of tips about raising teens, an age-group that shares with toddlers the distinction of being most difficult for parents.

There may not be a cure for adolescence, but there are ways for parents of teens to survive these challenging years! Parenting expert Tom McMahon has gone straight to the source—veteran moms and dads—to try and solve the mysteries of raising a happy, healthy teenager. Gathered here are hundreds of practical, creative, and proven tips that cover all aspects of parenting a teen:

-Rules and Discipline—Keep order while encouraging your child's independence, and pick your "battles" for what matters the most

-Talking and Listening—Get to know when to sympathize, when to back off, and how to deal with your teen's inevitable moodiness

-School and Learning—Free yourself from being the "homework cop," while nurturing both curiosity and enthusiasm

-Friendships and Relationships—Use role-playing to handle peer pressure, and help nurture healthy relationships

-Drugs and Alcohol—Pinpoint telltale signs of problems before they become serious, and stay involved by providing alternatives to parties with alcohol

-Responsibilities and Money—Strike a balance between chores and allowance, and make part-time jobs an introduction to money management

-Self-Esteem and Values—Enhance your teen's exposure to role models who will strengthen character and boost self-confidence.

Whatever the situation, Teen Tips is full of down-to-earth, inventive advice. It's an indispensable guide to navigating the teen years—and making the journey as rewarding for the parent as it is for the aspiring young adult.

As an educator, Tom McMahon has experience at the elementary, junior high, senior high, and college levels, including twenty years as a professor of counseling and psychology at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. Tom McMahon writes a weekly newspaper parenting column for The Oregonian, is a frequent guest speaker on parenting, and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including Oprah, Good Morning America, and the CNN and Fox television networks. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children.