Drum roll please! The cover of my new book, TEENS HAPPEN, is finished and here it is!
Book Cover
I don’t know about you, but I’m a product of an instant age. And this publishing process – even though my book is going direct-to-digital – has been really long! Sure, I knew there would be rewrites, and revisions – more rewrites and more revisions – but I thought TEENS HAPPEN would be out by now.
But it’s about to be! Last step was to have my “official” author’s headshot taken. A famous photographer Dana Fineman came and took my photo. Check out her site. She takes celebrity photos all the time. That was nerve-wracking, but she made it pretty easy.
My hope is the final book will be ready in the next couple of weeks. It’s an exciting time!
This spring break, I was stuck in the back seat of the car on a long family road trip – and that’s not a comfortable place to be when you’re almost 6’2” – when the thought hit me: why not write a book? You see, I love to write and as they say – whoever they are – you should write about what you know. And what I know is about being a teen. I’ve been one for three years now, but with two older siblings and tons of friends, it feels a lot longer. I also, as a middle child, do a lot of watching. And what I’ve observed is that many parents and their kids stop connecting during this all-important teen-age time.
Some parents just seem to lose confidence. Others want to act like they’re one of the kids. Others try to live through their kids (sport dads, stage moms). Other parents resort to a type of teen-stalking – parental controls, tracking devices and the like – that just drive further wedges in between themselves and their kids. Some parents feel guilty that they work too much, and then just give their kids stuff instead of time. If you fall into any of these categories, or just hope you don’t, I think this book can help you. I hope so.
This book I decided to write covers all of the main topics that teens are faced with – and gives parents advice about how to help your teen instead of driving your teen into the deep dark spaces of their bedrooms. The relationship you have with your child – even if you think it’s pretty good – can always need strengthening. Remember even though you were a teenager once, times have really changed. Sex happens earlier, binge drinking starts in middle school, drugs – especially alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs – are not even considered dangerous anymore by a lot of teens.
The truth is, it starts with you – the parent. If you, as a parent, know what you want your family to be like, if you have taught your kids values, and created a family culture from the time they were little, you will be great through the teenage years. Oh, and if you’re married, try not to fight in front of us too much, especially about us. You are our relationship role models and we care what you do, and what you think.
I understand how all of this is scary. I watched my mom freak out as each of us learned to drive – a little bit of letting go, and a lot of frightening teen-age driving stories. Your teen wants you to be a cheerleader – although not the only one clapping at an honors ceremony when applause was supposed to be held until the end, Dad – and a role model. We want limits and rules that are reasonable and more than anything else, we want to feel like you respect us and listen to us. You’d be surprised how much you can learn by talking to us.
Even as we pull away to develop our own identities, we need to know you’re there.
The plan with the book is to help you be the best parent ever, and more importantly, the perfect parent for your teenager. I can’t wait to share it with you.