And Then I Had Teenagers: Encouragement for Parents of Teens and Preteens

Yates, author of And Then I Had Kids, tackles the trials of parenting adolescents in this down-to-earth Christian manual. She encourages parents to not just endure, but to enjoy, their children's teen years. She identifies some common challenges teens who suddenly become uncommunicative, who reject the faith of their childhood or who are hypercritical of themselves and others. She also discusses ""hot topics"" such as dating, driving, grades, drugs, TV and movies. What places this parenting guide a cut above is its honesty; Yates is quite frank about the joys and sorrows of raising her own five kids (who were so closely spaced that there was one year when they were all teenagers! Yikes!). Christian parents will appreciate Yates's warm and wise counsel. (July)