Overview

"Kids today are growing up in scary times. What I Wish You Knew Conversations: Advice to Parents & Other Adults addresses the stress, anxiety and far too real fears of children and teens growing up in the world today. It is about communicating and connecting. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT HOW TO GET YOUR KIDS TO TALK. AND HOW TO RESPOND TO THEM WHEN THEY DO. All parents want to help and protect their children, but most don't know how to initiate serious conversations with them. This unique new book by Sharon Weingarten, MSW, with prologue and input from pediatrician, Mariana Glusman, MD is about the importance of having ongoing dialogue with children and teens. They make it easy to open conversations about some ""hard to start' topics by using the words of others. The How to Use this Book and Starters chapters give specific directions. What I Wish You Knew Conversations: Advice to Parents & Other Adults includes advice by real kids (maybe yours?) interviewed by Weingarten and Glusman. It is meant to be read by, not only parents, but also teachers, school psychologists, social workers, coaches, clergy, neighbors, friends and anyone who works with or observes children, tweens or adolescents. This glimpse into the diaries of real kids leads to discussion openers, for both adults and children, about topics such as stress, school, family problems, sex and sexuality, gender identification, racial slurs and discrimination, violence, the media, teasing, bullying, cyberbullying, body image, drinking, drugs, healthy relationships, unhealthy relationships, rape, pregnancy, money and privilege and lack of it, hope for the future, and more. This deceptively simple book is not so simple. Like worrying about our pulse, we often don't pay much attention to real communication with our kids until something is wrong. And then we have to pay a lot of attention. Knowing how to communicate with children and teens about what is on their minds can help prevent future problems."

Full Product Details

9781733488716

Table of Contents

Reviews

Interested in understanding what your teen really thinks? What I Wish You Knew Conversations may be of help. Written by Sharon Weingarten, a sensitive and observant clinician and mother, this book offers an illuminating look into the inner world of adolescents. Teens naturally (and understandably) keep much to themselves as they develop identities and lives independent of their parents. Supporting and guiding them through this process takes patience, a bit of wisdom, and the ability to truly listen to your teen's thoughts, feelings, and concerns. In this slim volume you'll listen in on teens lives as they share their worries and aspirations. As important, you'll learn how to offer an open-ear to your teen. - Mark A. Reinecke, PhD, Professor & Chief Psychologist, Northwestern University It becomes obvious immediately that Weingarten has everything it takes to produce a book like this. What I Wish You Knew Conversations: Teens' Advice to Parents and Other Adults is essential reading for teens themselves as much as parents, grandparents, professionals, and anyone else grappling with this tumultuous age. She herself has a depth of knowledge and a way with the written word that make her ideas both valid and easy to grasp. But as importantly, she knows when to step aside, and let the true experts have their say -- the teens themselves. Bravo. - David Royko, Psy.D., author, Voices of Children of Divorce What I Wish You Knew Conversations with Teens is a unique and important treasure. Sharon Weingarten's compassion and curiosity are in full bloom as she uncovers, and then shares, the wisdom of young people. These poignant stories facilitate a new kind of discussion to help bridge the ever-growing divide between parents and their children. The teens' voices jump from these pages. The impact of What I Wish You Knew Conversations with Teens should be required reading for every parent, educator, therapist, and pediatrician. - Douglas A. Bolton, Ph.D. Special Education ... Although well-intentioned parents assume that teaching good values can protect their children from making bad choices, teens today exist in an increasingly dangerous world, with total mobility and no judgement. Parents, here are real kids, telling you what you probably aren't hearing from your own children. They are telling you what they wish you knew - and even giving you advice on how you can help. ... What parents aren't told by their own child, they should hear from us, the kids in this book. - Student, age 16 This is an empowering book that gives insight into the thoughts of teens. Parents need to have a more comprehensive understanding of our teens' thought process in order to more effectively communicate with them and help them overcome their fears and anxieties. Teens need to know that they are loved and respected, and that their feelings and concerns are listened to and valued. As an elected official, I know how important it is to work with both teens and experts to find out how we, as a community, can encourage all topics to be openly discussed in our homes, schools and society as a whole. This book is the start of those essential conversations. - Senator Laura Fine, Illinois

Author Information

Sharon Weingarten is a teacher and licensed social worker. When her children were in high school, she went back to school also, earning her MSW summa cum laude from Loyola University of Chicago. She has worked in both public and private schools, as well as in the Therapeutic Day School of the Department of Adolescent Psychiatry of NorthShore University HealthSystem. Sharon has also had the unique experience of working in the South Pacific. She has conducted classes for teachers, parents and students in both schools and hospitals on the islands of Samoa, Tinian and Saipan. She is especially proud to have been the Founding Mother of a writing project for Mental Health America in 2003 that still that continues annually. She is a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, the National Association of Social Work, the American Group Psychotherapy Association and the Illinois Society for Clinical Social Work. Sharon serves on the Institutional Ethics Committee of Northshore University HealthSystem and the Interhospital Education Subcommittee and is an active member of the Steering Committee of the Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. In addition, she serves as a consultant and advisor to a wide variety of organizations, including the Agency Oversight Committee of New Trier Township, and Erika's Lighthouse. She enjoys her work as a volunteer for the Community Council of International Students at Northwestern University and Rotary International and she particularly values her role as a member of the Professional Advisory Board of Northwestern University's Camp Kesem, a national program for children who are impacted by a parent's cancer. Sharon created What I Wish You Knew Conversations(R) to encourage dialogue in families, schools, therapeutic settings and everywhere communication is important. She can be reached at WhatIWishYouKnew@gmail.com

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