Parenting Jewish Teens - by Joanne Doades (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Raising a teenager is difficult; your Jewish values can help make it easier.

Relationships with teenage children can be maddening and frustrating. They undergo the most peculiar transition from children you think you know into mysterious adolescent strangers you often wish you didn't.

Drawing upon the teachings, insights, and wisdom that have sustained the Jewish people throughout the generations, this groundbreaking and invaluable guidebook will help you navigate the tumultuous journey of parenting a Jewish child into adulthood while asking--and answering--important questions, including:

• How is my Jewish teen's life different from my life when I was a teen?
• How do I cope with the pain of separation as my child enters the teenage years?
• What are the causes of the conflict between me and my teen, and how can I help our family move through our most difficult moments?
• How must my own behavior change as my teen grows older?
• Is it possible to live with differences in Jewish belief and observance within the same family during my child's teenage years?
• What are the unique challenges of parenting Jewish teens in special situations, such as an interfaith home; a special-needs teen; an adopted teen; or a teen who is engaged in risky or self-destructive behaviors?

Review Quotes

"Eventually, we'll get past their daily tantrums, their exotic grooming, their messy bedrooms and the boy/girlfriends from hell, and watch our teens grow into responsible adulthood. But with Joanne Doades' wisdom, we'll do it with deeper understanding, deeper love and stronger connections. If you have a teen, you need this book."
--Rabbi Edward Feinstein, author, Tough Questions Jews Ask: A Young Adult's Guide to Building a Jewish Life

"Very impressive ... well-written, informative, relevant to the issues faced by today's parents, practical, and humorous. Will be ... read and re-read by parents as they seek to understand not only the world of their teenagers, but their own feelings and thoughts. Highly recommended."
--Dr. Robert Brooks, Harvard Medical School; coauthor, Raising Resilient Children

"Excellent.... There is not another like it."
--Dr. Sol Gordon, professor emeritus, Syracuse University; author, Raising a Child Responsibly in a Sexually Permissive World

"Doades is the generous friend we parents all need. She's been there, she's survived and she knows how to share her hard-earned wisdom with gentle humor and respect--for us and for our teens."
--Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, author, Parenting as a Spiritual Journey: Deepening Ordinary & Extraordinary Events into Sacred Occasions

"Gentle and persuasive guidance for all those who are raising teens."
--Dr. Kerry M. Olitzky, coeditor, The Rituals & Practices of a Jewish Life: A Handbook for Personal Spiritual Renewal

"Combines [personal experience] plus a deep love for Judaism. Ultimately, if we want to raise a new generation of Jewish people, we have to help them get through their teenage years and come out whole at the other end. This book will help!"
--Shulamit Reinharz, coauthor, The JGirl's Guide: The Young Jewish Woman's Handbook for Coming of Age