LIVING WITH YOUR TEENAGER

A laid-back survival guide for parents attempting to negotiate the shoals of their children's teen years."" The purpose of adolescence is to separate from parents,"" says Brusko; and during this transition to adulthood, parents should be prepared for considerable behavioral changes. For merely aggravating manifestations, her advice is either to tolerate the temporary or work out compromise--""the-do-it-or-else"" approach ""is doomed to failure."" Unreasonable demands, however, should be met with a simple ""no"" accompanied by an explanation. If the teen-ager perseveres, she recommends ignoring the behavior and leaving the room. Throughout, Brusko stresses the importance of communication. This means listening, understanding, rephrasing what's said in a non-judgmental way, empathizing and expressing one's own feelings and views calmly and clearly. She devotes several chapters, to a brief course on the development of communication skills, with sample situations in which the reader supplies the responses. Although some parents may find the attitudinal changes Brusko recommends difficult and, perhaps, impossible, her advice is sensible and workable. Smooth transition to adulthood for teen-agers.