Right off the bat in Toe to Toe With Your Teen: A Guide to Successfully Parenting a Defiant Teen Without Giving Up or Giving In, Jimmy Myers explains that he is not writing to parents of teens who chafe at their parents’ directives with the occasional smart-mouth comment or rolling of the eyes. Instead, he’s targeting parents of the teens who are crawling out of the bedroom window at night and getting arrested—the exceptionally defiant teen.
The first part of the book provides a diagnostic tool, the Adolescent Defiance Scale, which separates teen behavior into ranges of normal, defiant, extremely defiant and criminally defiant. For many parents, this scale will put their typical teen’s behavior in perspective. For the parents of the defiant, Myers offers compassion and hope that can bring positive change into family life. He also addresses the marital problems that arise in homes where there is a defiant teen and the problems of the single parent.
This counselor gives practical advice and valid strategies to help parents help their kids. Despite Myer’s disclaimer, any parent would benefit from reading this excellent book, even if their children are not considered defiant.
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