Grow the Tree You Got
& 99 Other Ideas for Raising Amazing Adolescents and Teenagers
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A wise and inspiring guide to parenting through the extraordinary- and at times tumultuous-journey that is the adolescent and teenage years.
When Tom Sturges became a father, he decided that he wanted to be one of the greatest father that ever walked the earth. But things became a bit more complicated when his older son turned ten, and the chatty kid he'd known suddenly started locking his bedroom door. Tom realized he needed to find a way to stay on track-he needed crib notes. So, if a parenting idea of technique worked well, he wrote it down. And if he stumbled across something another parent did that was particularly ingenious or exemplary, he wrote that down, too. In Grow the Tree You Got, Tom presents "golden rules" for raising happy, healthy, and compassionate adults. His mantra? It's impossible to show our children too much respect, but it's worth the effort to try.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sturges (Parking Lot Rules) urges parents to "grow the tree you got," in this inspiring advice book. Sturges maintains that it's vital to encourage a child to pursue his or her passion whether it's acting, dancing, sports, music, or some other interest while offering support, trust, freedom, and unconditional love. He incorporates tips from other parents, as well as lessons he's learned as the father of two sons, 12 and 18, and draws from his own unusual experiences as an adolescent (his father, the writer/director Preston Sturges, died when he was three, and his mother sent him to a "preventative" drug rehabilitation program when he was 13). The author, with Dalai Lamaesque patience, says parents should treat teens with kindness, always putting the adolescent first (if one is tempted to yell, he advises, whisper instead: "Yelling scares and yelling scars"). He also emphasizes the importance of building new bridges when old bridges fail (e.g., if a child gives up a particular sport or other activity, find a new outlet to share together). Wise, warm, and compassionate in tone and message, Sturges's text offers a range of ways to keep mutual lines of respect and communication open between parent and teen.
