Overview

Holding the key to a deeper understanding of the most misunderstood age group, teenage boys, Hold Your Teen Close introduces the Cognitive-Friendly Method, a practical approach that highlights the workings of the teenage brain. By examining how different regions of the brain influence real-life teenage behaviours, it offers fresh insights into traits such as moodiness, impulsivity, unpredictability, selfishness, and risk-taking. Drawing on the latest research in psychology and neuroscience, the book sheds new light on common parenting challenges and helps parents transform their relationships with their teenage sons, ultimately nurturing emotionally intelligent, confident, and resilient teenagers. Challenging outdated ideas like authoritarian parenting and the notion of ""blaming the teens,"" the book presents a more effective alternative. Written in clear, everyday language and illustrated with relatable anecdotes from real family experiences, it provides practical tips and actionable strategies to enhance daily interactions. In addition, Hold Your Teen Close addresses wider cultural issues affecting today's families, including support for mental health, domestic abuse, technology use, and evolving family structures, equipping parents with the tools to navigate the teenage years with empathy, understanding, and confidence. Taking a holistic approach, it equips parents with strategies to improve communication, prevent conflict, set boundaries, support education, enhance sleep, and foster mental and emotional well-being. Near the end of the book, a chapter reminds parents, especially mothers, of the importance of self-care as an essential part of caring for others. While primarily focused on supporting parents and carers of teenage boys, many of the insights and solutions are equally relevant for anyone supporting teenagers of any gender. It is also a valuable resource for educators, youth workers, youth mentors, and other professionals.

Full Product Details

9781036931575

Table of Contents

Reviews

""This is a very important book. It is well written, clear, lucid, and concise. The challenges facing our children and in turn their parents are immense. The post COVID era has thrown up a range of challenges combined with pressures that previous generations have not had to face. The impact of social media can be devastating for some children and parents struggle to help their children navigate their way through these difficulties. However, there are solutions, and this book offers both parents and their adolescent children some helpful insights on how to meet these and other challenges."" Dr Peter Carter OBE PhD MBA FRCN MCIPD RCGP (Hon) Ad Eundem RCSI RMN RGN Global Healthcare Leader ""This is a deeply-researched book that is helpful to any family with teen boys (and I have three of them!) Lots of practical tips for parents and, importantly, it includes the voices of many teenagers."" Helen Pearson, Senior Editor, Nature. Honorary Professor of Practice, UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies ""Hold Your Teen Close has the potential to exert enlightening influence wherever it gains attention, and that it deserves to be widely read. No wonder our adolescent boys are struggling, with so many jokes and banter made at their expense. So why, in the UK, do we mock and undermine our teenage boys, when according to The Children's Society (2023), our 15-year-olds report the lowest levels of life satisfaction in Europe? Penny Goodwin's warm-hearted, painstakingly-researched and well-argued book 'Hold Your Teen Close' strives passionately to challenge this 'ephebiphobic' prejudice. This admirable parenting manual contains a solid corpus of sound common sense to support the parents of teenage boys. It offers comprehensive advice, based on key neurological and developmental evidence, on how to respond to adolescent behaviour and emotional needs. And the many guidelines offered are practical, humane and wise. It is immensely refreshing to encounter Penny's determinedly positive view of adolescence, in which teenagers' energy, creativity, passion and growing selfhood can create a firm foundation for sturdy adulthood. Penny does not uphold perfection as a gold standard in this process. Because if there is love, attention, attunement, and understanding bestowed by the parent on their young adult, there are likely to be rich rewards resulting on both sides."" Steve Seaton MA, Psychotherapist, Former CEO, Director, & Founder of Youth Talk, Former Deputy Headteacher. ""An enlightening, heartfelt book that's honest and practical. Read with my son in mind, I found it relatable to my daughter too, though the focus is on boys. I'd recommend it to anyone raising or working with teenagers of any gender."" Keith Lowe, Author and Historian, Fellow of The Royal Historical Society and PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize Winner. ""As a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist specialising in anxiety, I often see first-hand how both anxiety and the challenges of parenting an anxious teenager can affect families. The section on anxiety in this book serves as an invaluable resource, offering practical strategies and a clear roadmap that helps parents build a healthier relationship with their anxious teen, while also empowering them to develop effective coping skills. In CBT, we emphasise the critical role of the relationship between therapist and client. This book mirrors that concept by focusing on the parent-teen relationship, stressing the importance of creating an open space. When teens feel comfortable expressing their anxieties, it opens the door to real, lasting change, making this approach a crucial tool for fostering sustained progress."" Dawn Kett, BSC (Hons) MSc PGCert PGDip MBABCP Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist

Author Information

Penny Goodwin is a Parenting Educator, Youth Mentor, and Author passionate about helping parents truly understand their teenage sons. She writes to help parents and professionals navigate the tricky teenage years. Her guidance helps them feel more confident and become better communicators, enabling them to build stronger, more understanding relationships. In her debut book, Penny draws on years of experience, combining real-life insights with psychology and brain science to offer practical strategies that empower families. Penny believes that with the right understanding and tools, every parent can turn frustration into connection. She has recently appeared on the radio, talking about parenting, communication, and strengthening family connections with teenagers, and her writing on family life and parenting has appeared in community publications. A fun tip about Penny: She originally trained as a Chef and even cooked for Royalty! A passion she has passed on to her own son.

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