Feeding the Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Teenagers Into Adulthood - Paperback

by Kenneth Wilgus (Author)

Parenting Teenagers Is Hard. How Do You Know If You're Doing It Right?

Many parents struggle in raising their teens because they fail to transition from seeing them as children to seeing them as adults-in-training. Progressively giving teens more control over their lives reduces stress and prepares your teen for maturity as an adult.

In Feeding the Mouth that Bites You, Dr. Ken Wilgus outlines a clear path to help parent teens in today's world. Engaging, accessible, and based on Dr. Wilgus' thirty-five years of clinical family work, teaching on parenting--and successfully raising three teens of his own--you'll find this guide immensely practical. Learn what your teen needs and why they act the way they do so that you can reduce your frustrations and thoughtfully guide them. You'll also discover how to:

• help them to grow in responsibility and prepare them to launch into the real world
• reduce conflict and maintain good communications
• set clear, reasonable limits without provoking fights
• manage tough issues like school, alcohol use, dating, etc., and more!

Packed with stories, examples, and charts, Feeding the Mouth that Bites You is an indispensable resource that will give you confidence to raise kids who are ready for adult living.

Back Jacket

Is anything harder than raising a teenager?

Rolled eyes. Simple requests being ignored. Blaring music and a bedroom floor that hasn't been seen in years. Seeming indifference to school performance. These typical traits of today's teenagers leave parents feeling frustrated and defeated, hoping just to survive the teen years and get the kids out the door when they graduate high school.

Why does it sometimes feel as if teenagers hate their parents?

How can parents turn this scenario around and be more sane and successful in raising a teenager? It starts with understanding the greatest need of teens, which is growing autonomy based on the recognition that they are young adults in training.

In Feeding the Mouth That Bites You, Dr. Ken Wilgus explains this fundamental need of teenagers and presents a plan for meeting it. His popular, proven approach, called Planned Emancipation, is based on more than thirty years of counseling adolescents and their families. With humor, wisdom, and numerous practical examples, Dr. Wilgus equips parents to safely and effectively transition their teens from being children to being young adults ready to take on the world.