Smells Like Teen Spirit

October 27, 2022

Dear Beautiful Readers,

Today I am presenting the MOST WONDERFUL book for parents of teens.  We all know that the book What To Expect When You Are Expecting is THE go-to book for new parents.  Unfortunately, this book and the one after do not cover the teen years.  And let me tell you this…if there was ever a time for a parent manual, it is during this period. This is where today’s book comes into play.  The Parent Compass by Cynthia Clumeck Muchnick, MA & Jenn Curtis, MSW could not be more timely.  I am literally in the throws of TEENAGEHOOD, and this book is my new GPS.  

My teenage years were in the 80s & early 90s…the olden days.  We played outside until it was dark, there were no cell phones, and playing on multiple soccer teams at age 7 WAS NOT A THING.  I studied for the SATs from a ginormous yellow paperback text that resemble the phonebook (remember those?), I had weekly chores, a part-time job in high school, and a full-time job in the summer. I went to college with an electric typewriter with a mini screen, and email was just a distant rumor.

You can see where I am going with this.  THINGS ARE DIFFERENT now. I never realized how competitive the world was until I became a parent. Academics, sports, extracurricular, social-emotional behaviors, and parenting styles are all vying to make the podium these days. This is why The Parent Compass is my new best friend during my latest season of parenting.  Muchnick and Curtis help parents peel back the layers of what teens are up against. They explore fostering independence, managing screen time, and understanding social media. They take on social and emotional issues, homework, sleep, family time, getting ready to look at colleges, and more.  With over 30 combined years of working with teens, these two ladies have a decent handle on “all the things” going on with this magnificent and frequently mindboggling group of individuals. Because they have also been through it themselves with their teens, they understand why our parental brains feel like they are on fire most of the time.  They 100% get it and are here to offer guidance every step of the way.   

If you have a teen or tween, this is your new handbook.  

Make it happen!

xoxo,

Kelly

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