Approximate Parent an Award-Winning Book for Parents of Teens!

Austin, TX--Michael Simon's innovative title, The Approximate Parent: Discovering the Strategies That Work with Your Teenager (Fine Optics Press, 2012, ISBN 9780985227692) was announced today as a winner in the Austin-based 2013 Reader Views Annual Literary awards. Simon's popular parenting title was selected in the non-fiction parenting/family/relationships category. Reader Views, founded in 2005 to support independent publishers and authors, announced all the winners on March 25 for its Annual Literary Awards. The awards were established to honor writers of self- and subsidy-published titles, along with those titles published by small press, university press, or independent book publisher geared for the North American reading audience. The Approximate Parent, reviewed by Reader Views earlier in 2013, was noted as a "5-star...must-read for all parents." There are thousands of books on parenting teens, but few aim to make the parent the expert on their own teenager. The Approximate Parent offers smart, practical ways of understanding the contexts of adolescent development in America—beyond all the “teen” stereotypes—helping parents reach wise approximations of what to do in the hard situations with their particular teenagers. The Approximate Parent’s approach is groundbreaking and commonsensical: it understands that “one size doesn’t fit all.” This respectful approach allows parents to understand both the current American culture of adolescents alongside their own particular teen's biology, temperament, and developmental challenges. This highly accessible and often witty book is informed by the latest research on adolescent brain development, effects of digital media on youth and identity formation, relationships, sexuality and trends in drug and alcohol use.