When Maria Susan Proulx started writing her Teen Talk column for a local newspaper, she was just twelve years old. Her parents teased her, saying that teens didn't read the paper; she was communicating with her peers in a medium read by forty-year-olds. But that didn't stop Maria. Soon, she learned that teens and parents were discussing each of her columns over dinner, instead of sitting in silence, absorbed by their phones. Fellow students came up to her in the hallway at school, telling her that her column on mental health gave them the courage to face their own struggles. Teachers told her that they cut her column out of the paper and posted it in their classrooms, to encourage conversations with students about tough topics. Emboldened, Maria kept writing-and five years later, her columns have become this book. Teen Talk: Insight on Issues that Matter to Teens and the Adults Who Care About Them is a collection of essays on activism, college acceptance, gender identity, body positivity, immigration, blended families, rejection, dating, illness, homework, and addiction-but it's also so much more. It's a bridge between teens and the adults in their lives, a way of tearing down barriers and building common understanding. Through humor, honesty, and insight, Teen Talk offers a space for conversation, reflection, and-above all-the knowledge that no matter how overwhelming their challenges might seem, teens are not alone.

Parenting today’s teens is not for cowards. Your teenager is facing unprecedented and confusing pressures, temptations, and challenges in today’s culture. Mark Gregston has helped teens and their parents through every struggle imaginable, and now he shares his biblical, practical insights with you in bite-size pieces. Punctuated with Scriptures, prayers, and penetrating questions, these one-page devotions will give you the wisdom and assurance you need to guide your teen through these years and reach the other side with relationships intact.

Are you and your favorite teenager having too many conversations like this? "How was school?" "Fine." "Soccer practice?" "Same as always." "Anything interesting happen today?" "Nope." "Nice talking with you!" Let's face it. Teenagers have a PhD in one-word answers . . . if we don't ask the right questions. In this book, veteran youth expert Jonathan McKee shares 180 creative discussion starters to help teens open up about issues that matter. You'll also find tips for interpreting their responses and follow-up questions. From light-hearted to more serious, these conversation springboards will encourage even the most reluctant teen to talk about friends, school, values, struggles, and much more. "The perfect tool for connecting with today's teenagers." --Dr. Kevin Leman, author of Have a New Teenager by Friday "Few people understand the teenage world like Jonathan McKee. This book is one of the most helpful and practical tools I have ever seen to get teenagers talking with their parents about important topics."--Jim Burns, PhD, author of Teenology: The Art of Raising Great Teenagers and Confident Parenting

Today's teenagers are the most anxious, creative, and diverse generation in history--which can make it hard for us to relate. And while every teenager is a walking bundle of questions, three rise above the rest: - Who am I? - Where do I fit? - What difference can I make? Young people struggle to find satisfying and life-giving answers to these questions on their own. They need caring adults willing to lean in with empathy, practice listening, and gently point them in the direction of better answers: they are enough because of Jesus, they belong with God's people, and they are invited into God's greater story. In this book, which is based on new landmark research from the Fuller Youth Institute and combines in-depth interviews with data from 1,200 diverse teenagers, Kara Powell and Brad M. Griffin offer pastors, youth leaders, mentors, and parents practical and proven conversations and connections that help teenagers answer their three biggest questions and reach their full potential.

“Talk with your teenager.” “Be there for your tween.” Parents are often encouraged to talk with their kids, but they don’t always feel equipped to deal with these difficult topics off the cuff, right? At the turn of a page, 40 Answers for Teen’s Top Questions is packed with the most common teen questions, solutions, biblical advice, plus parenting tips that are laid out clearly in an easy-to-read way that your teen can read on their own or with you! You already know not to lecture your teen, but it can be hard to reason with them when emotions run high, so where do you turn? With over decades of experience counseling teens and parents (as well as being a parent of a teen), Dr. Gregory Jantz has the top 40 practical and compassionate answers you’re looking for. From peer pressure and bullies to zits and dating, parents will discover practical ways to have open and honest conversations with their teens while equipping them to navigate toward early adulthood. Includes the following: 40 real and relevant topics to teens and preteens Each question opens with real comments from an adolescent to other adolescents Straightforward answers from an expert addressed to teens with honesty and humor Each topic includes practical exercises to “Talk It Out,” “Act It Out,” and “Think It Out” “For Parents” section on each topic addresses concerns and gives ideas and options to create open communication

The 21st-century guidebook of life safety skills for teens, their parents, and other caregivers, covering physical safety, sexual consent, social media, your rights with the police, situational awareness, dating violence, smartphones, and more. "Easy to read and comprehensive on topics of safety, Cristall's volume is an informative read for teens and their parents, but may also prove to be a helpful text for a high-school level health class." (Library Journal) Young people coming of age today face new risks, expectations, and laws that didn't exist when their parents were young. What They Don't Teach Teens provides teens, tweens, and young adults with up-to-date, realistic strategies to protect themselves against the pitfalls of modern adolescence. Author Jonathan Cristall, once a troubled teen himself and now a veteran prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles and a sexual violence prevention instructor, works extensively with teenagers and their families to teach physical, digital, emotional, and legal safety skills. Drawing on Cristall's hands-on experience, What They Don't Teach Teens gives parents and other caregivers techniques for talking to their children about these urgent issues. What They Don't Teach Teens gives sound advice on police interactions and personal safety (your constitutional rights, what to do/not do when stopped by the police while driving, situational awareness, street robberies, gun violence); sexual violence and misconduct (sexual consent, sexual harassment prevention, dating violence, sextortion); and staying safer online (digital footprint and citizenship, cyberbullying, underage sexting, online porn). A must-read for all families, What They Don't Teach Teens is filled with practical guidance, thoughtful insight, and simple-to-use tips and tactics that will empower young people to make good choices now and into the future.

While Catholic teens drifting away from the Faith is unfortunately an increasingly common occurrence, it’s not inevitable. We as parents are uniquely qualified to lead our teens to a relationship with Christ. During the difficult teenage years, parents — not youth ministers, teachers, or parish programs — play a pivotal role in our children’s faith development. In Rooting Your Teen in the Faith, family coach, catechist, author, and mom Kim Cameron-Smith empowers parents to shepherd their teens, guiding them to discover their mission, deepen their faith, and discern the truth about their identity and purpose. There is no perfect blueprint for evangelizing teenagers, but there is the right relationship: the parent-child bond. If we lean into our call to lead, inspire, free, and transform our children, by the end of the teenage years, they will be equipped to respond to God’s movements in their lives.