Author: Sheryl Feinstein
This book would be a fantastic choice for any parent who has or is expecting a teenager. It paints a picture for parents in a way so that they understand. Sheryl Feinstein has her own experiences that she shares throughout the book as well. It is always nice to hear personal experiences from someone who went through the same thing.
One of the main things she returns to in the book is the way in which the teenage brain works. Parents have to understand that the brain of a teenager is a work in progress and are not developed like humans are. Sheryl also points out the fact that teenagers use a different part of the brain to communicate than parents do. This is why teenagers and parents sometimes just do not get one another. She then states that “No wonder their responses were different; their brains function differently!” Before she even stated this I was thinking the very same thing. Sheryl makes you feel like you can raise a teenager and that there are ways in which parents can help their teenagers and help themselves.
The book it designed to give parents situations in which they might run into with their teenager and then has a section called “what should parents do?” after every topic. This section is where Sheryl explains what parents should do if the teenager is showing signs of the preceding topic. This makes it easy for parents to put into perspective what their teenagers are going through and in return helps teach parents to guide their teenager through this very important time of development.
The research provided in the book is outstanding. She basically explains what is going on in the brain of a teenager and provides readers with the studies to back up what is being said. She provides information on studies, interviews, observations, and her very own experiences with her own teenagers. It starts from the source of teenager’s behavior (the brain) and moves from the teenagers perspective to ways parents can deal with these behaviors.
Sheryl Feinstein did a great job with this book. I believe it will benefit many parents in raising their teenagers and help them feel more confident in doing so. Even the way Sheryl speaks to her readers drags them in to want to try what she is suggesting. If you are looking for an easy parenting book that provides you with information as to why your teen is acting a certain way instead of just telling you what to do, this is a book you should read. She has taken brain-based research and turned it into something parents can understand and learn from.
~Kim
Reference: Feinstein, S. (2009). Inside
the Teenage Brain: Parenting a Work in Progress. Lanham, Maryland, United
States: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
~Kim
