Parenting Your Teen and Loving It
Being the Mom Your Kid Needs
by Susie Davis

List Price: $12.99
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780800733186
Publisher: Revell Books

Moms know it's never been tougher to be the parent of a teenager.

Cell phones and Facebook. Slammed doors and mood swings. Somehow, your sweet child changed into a baffling bunch of hormones you barely recognize. You love your teen but worry about being the mom you need to be.

Susie Davis can help. She gives you the information you need to understand where your teen is emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually. With humor and transparency, this seasoned mother of teens answers your big questions, like

• How can I be responsible but not overprotective?
• What do I say and do to get my teen's attention?
• What does my teen need from me most at this stage?
• How can I avoid setting unreasonable expectations?
• How do I influence without irritating my teen?

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1. What are the signs in your family that might indicate you are in need of a “mommy makeover”? Were you aware that you would need to revamp your parenting style to raise a teen? What do you do when you feel like a “weak” mother? How could you redirect your efforts and become a more confident mother?

2. Where are you in regard to doing things for or being in relationship with your teenager? How might a shift from doing to being affect your relationship? Why do you think that ongoing doing from Mom often irritates preteens and teens? What might your doing be communicating?

3. What is your greatest fear for your teenagers? How are your fears motivating and directing some of your parenting decisions? Is there a chance that your teenagers are in some ways prisoners of your own fear? What do you think these fears may communicate to your teenager?

4. List some of your expectations for your teenager in the following areas: academic, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual. Think back to your own teenage years. How likely would you have been as a teenager to meet all of the expectations that you currently have for your child? How are your expectations affecting your relationship with your teenager? How might this be impacting your potential to be a spiritual guide for your teen?

5. How important is it to tell your teenager that you are asking God for direction on establishing good rules for her life? How might inviting your teenager to pray about this with you impact his faith?

6. What are some of the biggest cultural influences your teenager faces? What are you most afraid of when thinking of your teenager and the influence of pop culture? How does that influence your parenting decisions?

7. Identify some of the differences in attitude, behavior, and communication you have observed between teenage boys and teenage girls? What are some parenting choices you can make to respond to these differences?

8. What practices are present in your life that allow you to let God’s love in? What about in your teenager’s life? What practices are present in your life that demonstrate getting God’s love out? What about your teenager’s life?

9. What is the one most important thing you would like to change in your relationship with your teenager? How can you go about making that happen? What kind of support or accountability might you need from your spouse, family, friends, or pastor?

10. What was the most striking or surprising thing you learned from reading this book? Is there an observation or direction that you found particularly valuable?

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"This book contains great advice to help parents and teens remain sane during this often difficult period of life."

— Rick Johnson, author, Better Dads, Better Sons and That's My Son

"Susie has given me a whole new 'bag of tricks' which has everything to do with our relationship. I can do this. This is the parenting book I've been looking for."

— Jen Hatmaker, author, The Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study series, Ms. Understood, and Interrupted