by Corrie Lynne Player
Adolescence may be easier for parents if they follow the
advice of Corrie Lynne Player, who has a Master's in education from
Stanford and has raised nine children of her own and more than forty
trouble foster children. She has written a parent's guide to raising teens
called Loving Firmness: Successfully Raising Teenagers Without Losing
Your Mind (Mapletree Publishing, 0-9728071-6-0). Over the years she
found that most parents had five questions about their teens, including
"how can I reach them?" and "how can I prepare them for life and teach
them to work? Player describes teens with a touch of humor (part child,
part adult, part alien) and plenty of no-nonsense advice. She tackles
issues like getting your kids to help out, talking straight about
morality, and developing self-esteem and self-control. She uses
experiences with her own children and acknowledges that there are no
perfect answers, although following parameters (no matter how difficult)
will ultimately help reduce strife. "Reducing the number of fights in your
household," she writes, "requires you to expend more energy than a
marathon runner, more tact than a Middle East negotiator, and more
patience than Job."
Foreword Magazine
July/August 2006
Loving Firmness is
well-written, engaging, practical, down-to-earth and filled
with good advice and strategies.
David Walsh, PhD
President of the National Institute on Media and the Family
This is a brilliant, genuine, yet satisfying and
sophisticated book that shows the importance of recognition and support
from caring adults, while at the same time needing autonomy and
self-guidance. I recommend this book to anyone who is or is planning to
raise a child.
Shmir Corzine
United States Coordinator, Lions Quest International Foundation
