BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: A GUIDE TO HELP PARENTS AND TEENS NAVIGATE THROUGH LIFE'S TOUGHEST ISSUES.
BY: JESSICA L. PECK
I requested this parenting guide, because my two sons are fairly new 24 and 21 years old. As a mother of young "ADULT" children, they are both the loves of my life. That being said, they are both very private about their personal lives, which I totally respect. They were both super easy to raise. They were both easy going and never got in trouble. I never had cause to punish them either because they were very well behaved. I was curious to read this because I was looking for conversational prompts to generate more open dialogue.
Some of the content was shocking. The Author is a nurse practitioner in Pediatrics, so she is up to date on most issues that are discussed. I was taken for granted that I knew most things having to do with both of my sons teenage years. I left the sex education up to my husband who automatically performed his duties. Statistics that she mentioned having to do with most teens being exposed to certain things that I never dreamed my two sons thought about were shockingly high. She talks about pornography, sexting, gender identity, racism, eating disorders and probably a few that I left out. Oh I forgot social media and suicide.
I found that my two sons always had a great male and easy going pediatrician. Their access to great health care is a resource that she mentions, which is one that we provided. I can't imagine them having gone through themselves, most of the issues that she raises. I always have told them and still do that I love them all of the time. She has four children of her own and she raises the point of making a safe environment of the parents for the teen to feel that they won't get shamed if they talk about these issues with their parents'. I was pretty much an easy going parent and I think that my two sons know that they can speak openly to me about anything and I will most always be positive. I think that if I follow her statistics, that maybe I didn't know everything that went on with my two sons'. My husband would have told me if they mentioned any of the behaviors that she mentioned to him.
I am not saying "Not my child," either. Maybe things have changed in today's world that are more prevalent than they were. At any rate, I doubt that at my sons current ages that these are things that they would bring up in a conversation to me. You never know. I knew most of the suggestions that she made, already. I will be prepared either way having read this to keep an open mind and as always be the kind of mother that listens more than always talking. I am still glad that I read this even though it was not what I was expecting. Maybe I will get a chance to help others who are not my children using some of her suggestions.
Publication Date: October 18, 2022
Thank you to Net Galley, Jessica L. Peck and Thomas Nelson--W Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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