Review: For Parents Only

I teach High School English. In rare moments, when the towering youngsters are quiet, I look at them and imagine my own children in a few years. Then I wish for a way to stop time.

In the first chapter of For Parents Only, author Shaunti Feldhahn describes a moment when she watched her children breaking away, running down the hill and racing toward growing up. Since we can not stop time we must find a way to cope with the rigors of increased hormones and alien takeovers in our precious little darlings.

For Parents Only provides some guidance in doing just that. Last night I was reading Chapter 4 entitled, "The Good Thing About Being the Bad Guy." The chapter discusses a parent who is in control and the fact that this is what kids really want. Parenting is difficult on the best of days, being the big bad enforcer of rules is sometimes heartbreaking in the moment. But the truth of the matter is; discipline engenders a feeling of security and love.

Even my seven year old recognizes this fact. On Thanksgiving he listed all the things he was thankful for "having Mommy, Daddy, Sister, and most of all having jobs." I had to ask, "Jobs?" He answered happily, "Yes," and he nodded and grabbed my face for kisses, "because you make me do jobs so I will learn responsibility." I have such amazing children!

For Parents Only covers a wide range of topics: rebellion, discipline, talking/listening, attitude, moods, freedom and others. Drawing on the results of a nationwide survey of kids and teenagers, these questions are addressed:

• What do moms need to understand about the “tough and tender” boy who values respect over love?
• What do dads need to understand about their daughter’s need for affirmation?
• What are the six biggest pet peeves teens have about their parents?
• Understanding the answers to these and other important questions can help parents make the holidays a time of celebration and unity, not strife and friction.

For Parents Only offers a unique look into a child’s mind and frees readers to communicate in healthier ways as they discover that understanding their kids may not be as complicated as they think.

CONTEST: Send me your "cuter than cute" story about your teen and you can win a free copy of Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice's For Parents Only.


Author Bio: Shaunti Feldhahn is the author of For Women Only and numerous other books, with sales totaling nearly one million copies. A nationally syndicated newspaper columnist andother books, public speaker, Feldhahn earned her master’s degree at Harvard University. She and her husband, Jeff, have two young children. Lisa A. Rice is the associate editor of Christian Living magazine, the mother of two teenage girls, and a screenwriter and producer.