Tough Guys and Drama Queens By Mark Gregston

Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 240
Vendor: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2012
Dimensions: 8.38 x 5.50 (inches)
ISBN: 0849947294
ISBN-13: 9780849947292


About:


Parents of preteens and teens can move from scared to prepared with a new approach to parenting their adolescents.


Parents of preteens intuitively know that no matter how good their kids are, there is turbulence ahead. Many feel lost and unprepared as they watch the damaging effects of culture collide with their child's growing pains and raging hormones.


For the past 35 years Mark Gregston has lived and worked with struggling teens and knows what it takes to reach them. He says, "A parent's success has little to do with either the validity of their words or their intent as messengers, it's more about how they approach their child and engage with them."


The book is divided into three sections:


*What's so different about today's culture *Why traditional parenting no longer works *A new model for parenting teens


Foundational and practical, and written from the crucible of experience, Tough Guys and Drama Queensanswers the questions that parents are asking, helping them become the parents their children need them to be.


Thoughts from Carli:


Mark Gregston knows kids. In this book Mark discusses how, with the extent of technology and social media, we need to change the way we communicate and parent our teen. We need to develop a relationship with him or her more than ever before. He guides us through the teenage years, how the teens are dealing with it, and provides practical guidance on how to handle the situations.


All I can say is, "Wow, Mr. Gregston! I wish you had written this 10 years earlier!". As I read this book I couldn't help but see how things would have been easier as my two older kids were teens if I would have changed my parenting style from the more "Do as I say" to a more relationship based parenting style. Luckily for me he said that it's not too late to start incorporating these techniques.

This book grabbed my attention from the get go when Mr. Gregston gave examples of your child might say blank. My kids said exactly some of the things he was mentioning, in the context given. It really helped me to understand that he had listened to teens over the years and truly understood what they are going through. He seemed to understand my kids without ever meeting them.

I enjoyed how the book was applied in sections although I really wanted to jump to the last section "A New Model for Parenting Teens" quickly. As I was reading through the other two sections I just kept thinking "Yes, so how do I fix this?".

I would highly recommend this book to parents, teachers, and anyone who interacts with teens on a regular basis. It will truly help you analyze your approach and determine the best approach for difficult tasks.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://www.booksneeze.com/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”