cover image The Tween Years: A Parent's Guide for Surviving Those Terrific, Turbulent, and Trying Times

The Tween Years: A Parent's Guide for Surviving Those Terrific, Turbulent, and Trying Times

Donna G. Corwin, Corwin Donna. McGraw-Hill, $15.95 (176pp) ISBN 978-0-8092-2995-6

Corwin (The Time-Out Prescription) describes a ""Tween"" as a ""combination of the word teen and in between. Your Tween is in between childhood and the teenage years--a time of exploration, growth, change, and turbulence."" This observation may be apt, but Corwin, who cites no compelling authority beyond being the mother of a 12-year-old, offers little in the way of practical advice or fresh approaches to parents who have been trying to cope with this latest developmental phase in their heretofore enchanting offspring. How to stimulate your child's intellect? ""Get him a subscription to Time or Newsweek."" Under the heading ""Period!"" (after noting that menstruation is a ""highly sensitive subject"" also known as ""curse,"" ""the rag"") Corwin suggests, ""You should talk with your daughter about why she menstruates"" and ""you might need to be prepared with Midol and a hot water bottle."" The author does, however, offer some useful counsel about discipline and handling conflict: setting boundaries of behavior early on, and holding firm to the disciplinary action chosen--be it grounding or a work chore. (Oct.)