Four Great Audiobooks on How to Parent Teenagers

Parenting a teenager is not easy and can get very overwhelming, especially if this is the first of your children to reach this age. Parenting teenagers is vastly different from what you may have experienced when your child was younger. We know how hectic the life of a parent can be, so all of the following resources are in audiobook format. You can listen in the car while you are driving, while working out or cooking dinner, the possibilities are endless. These audiobooks are a great way to learn more about parenting teenagers and the most effective parenting strategies to help our teens succeed.  

Our team of neuropsychologists, school psychologists, and psychology students at South County Child and Family Consultants is committed to searching the Internet and beyond to find reputable, informative, and practical tools to help parents, children, and teens. We look for the best information online to help kids diagnosed with ADHD, Learning Disabilities, executive-functioning difficulties, struggles with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills, autism, depression, and anxiety, among others, and provide you with information about how neuropsychological evaluations can help in targeting these concerns. Come back regularly, as the links are updated frequently with the most up-to-date resources available. 

Here are four great, and convenient, audiobooks to help you understand how to parent a teenager. 

Smart but Scattered Teens: The”Executive Skills” Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential 

by Richard Guare, Ph.D, Peg Dawson, Ed.D, and Colin Guare

Amazon Review: “If you’re the parent of a ‘smart but scattered’ teen, trying to help him or her grow into a self-sufficient, responsible adult may feel like a never-ending battle. Now you have an alternative to micromanaging, cajoling, or ineffective punishments. This positive guide provides a science-based program for promoting teens’ independence by building their executive skills – the fundamental brain-based abilities needed to get organized, stay focused, and control impulses and emotions.” 

Dr. Kulman’s take: “One of the terrific books on executive functions by Dawson and Guare and now Richard Guare’s son, Colin. This book focuses on the importance of executive skills for teens.”

 

The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults 

by Frances E. Jensen, M.D., with Amy Ellis Nutt

Amazon Review: “Drawing on her research, knowledge, and clinical experience, internationally respected neurologist–and mother of two boys–Frances E. Jensen, MD, offers a revolutionary look at the adolescent brain, providing remarkable insights that translate into practical advice for both parents and teenagers.”

Dr. Kulman’s take: “This book touches on some of the new research into the brains of teens. The teenage years are a time of major brain transformation that we are just beginning to understand. Maybe that is why it is so difficult for parents to understand their teens.”

 

Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood 

by Lisa Damour, Ph.D

Amazon Review: “In this sane, highly engaging, and informed guide for parents of daughters, Dr. Damour draws on decades of experience and the latest research to reveal the seven distinct – and absolutely normal – developmental transitions that turn girls into grown-ups, including parting with childhood, contending with adult authority, entering the romantic world, and caring for herself. Providing realistic scenarios and welcome advice on how to engage daughters in smart, constructive ways, Untangled gives parents a broad framework for understanding their daughters while addressing their most common questions.”

Dr. Kulman’s take: Specific to teenage girls. This book offers unique insights and empathy into the dramas and stresses of the teenage girl’s experience. 

 

How to Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk

 by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

Amazon Review: “Filled with straightforward advice and written in their trademark, down-to-earth style sure to appeal to both parents and teens, this all-new volume offers both innovative, easy-to-implement suggestions and proven techniques to build the foundation for lasting relationships. From curfews and cliques to sex and drugs, it gives parents the tools to help their children safely navigate the often stormy years of adolescence.”

Dr. Kulman’s take: “The classic book, updated and transformed into talking and more importantly, listening, to teens. This book helps parents to understand the importance of communicating with teenagers.”