Help Me Help My Teen

Book excerpt: 'I love Maggie's style. Quite simply, when she talks, we should listen.' Hamish Blake 'A masterpiece ... this book is the answer we've been waiting for.' Dr Vanessa Lapointe Australia's favourite parenting expert on how to understand and help our teens so they can thrive. Adolescence has always been a time of huge transformation, but today's teens deal with challenges that parents may never have imagined. An increasingly digital world filled with social media, gaming and harmful content, along with changing cultural norms, has intensified the pressure to excel and 'fit in' - leading to heightened levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Maggie Dent, Australia's queen of common-sense parenting, believes that teens can handle these pressures with resilience and strength when they are supported by stable, loving connections with family, teachers and other caring adults. Drawing on up-to-date research, a survey of modern teens and her own experiences as a teacher, counsellor and mother, and her memories of being a teen, Maggie provides clear and compassionate 'what to do' advice for some of the most difficult, sensitive topics - such as technology use, sex, drugs and alcohol, dropped school grades, mental health and identity - and shows us how we can provide a safe and supportive environment for all our teens. Help Me Help My Teen is a reassuring, practical guide for parents to help teenagers navigate adolescence and grow into confident, capable adults.