REACHING YOUR TEENAGER

by Elizabeth C. Winship ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 20, 1983

Authoritative information and practical suggestions for worried parents of preteens and teens. As author of the syndicated column ""Ask Beth""--and therefore the recipient of lots of letters--Winship has organized her guide around typical issues of adolescence: emerging sexuality; popularity; appearance; rights and discipline; ""challenge, danger and lawbreaking""; drugs; ""moods, depression and suicide."" Clearly, however, she addresses herself to parents. To help them understand the physical, emotional, and social changes their children are experiencing, the chapters are crammed with documented facts: according to one study, less than 6 percent of mothers talk to their daughters about contraception; PCP drug abusers become particularly disoriented in water; freon can freeze the larynx. Or, injunctively: ""boys do need to know the range of 'average' penile size, which is from four to six inches, in the flaccid state."" Beyond the facts are no-nonsense strategies: get teenagers to pay attention to automobile safety ""through their wallets"" (with payments for upkeep and insurance), ""take time to get to know every boy who wants to date your daughter,"" quit smoking if you don't want them to smoke. Even some concerns that parents might brush aside--""the young gift with an extra-large bosom,"" the nature of a gynecological exam--are treated thoughtfully and respectfully. Winship, moreover, keeps it all readable and good-natured. ""You call your routines guidelines,"" she notes, ""they call it tyranny."" As an all-purpose resource, first-rate.

Pub Date: June 20, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1983

Categories: NONFICTION