Parents Learn How to Raise Healthy Teens In New Survival Book

There are 43 million teens and tweens living in our country. How will parents raise them to be happy, healthy and successful individuals amid the challenges, dangers, and distractions? Parenting a teen poses more danger and opportunities than when today's parent was a teen 20-30 years ago. Luckily, a new book helps the 21 st century parent troubleshoot through the landmine of issues.

"There's a strange new creature living under your roof," says Joani Geltman, MSW, author of a new book, A Survival Guide To Parenting Teens: Talking To Your Kids About Sexting, Drinking, Drugs, and Other Things That Freak You Out (AMACOM, May 20). "Your job now is to figure out what makes teenagers tick, and to steer them to productive paths away from the lures and dangers of drinking, drugging, sexting, bullying, and other bad decisions."

From lying, hanging with a bad crowd, spending too much time online, and falling grades, the teenage years can be an uphill battle. Her book is a no-nonsense guide you need to get your teen talking, listening, and acting appropriately. Geltman covers 80 areas of concern for those raising teenagers in today's hyper-sexual, super-social, non-stop digital environment.

"No kid is perfect, not even yours," adds Geltman. "Perhaps your teen is engaging in risky behaviors that are scaring the hell out of you, or he won't talk to you, or he isn't even trying to reach for his potential, or he's generally unlikable. It's probably been hard to find the joy in the relationship. Believe me, your teen gets your disappointment. It's important to break the cycle."

Geltman is a leading parent expert, with four decades of experience in working with youth, including as a psychology professor, school counselor and social worker, a family therapist, and a parenting coach. She's also a successful parent, having raised Ari Graymor, a movie actress who is starring in the new CBS television series, Bad Teacher.

She encourages parents to express an "I get it" attitude to their teen and to let them know their parents can imagine what they are going through. Her insightful and helpful guide reveals just what teens are thinking, saying, doing, and feeling and seeks to inform and enlighten, even scare, the parents about the developmental and societal factors influencing their child's behavior.

Media contact: Brian Feinblum, Chief Marketing Officer/Senior VP at MEDIA CONNECT, 212-583-2718 brianf@finnpartners.com

SOURCE Joani Geltman

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