The Good Teen: Rescuing Adolescence from the Myths of the Storm and Stress Years

by Richard M. Lerner

For many parents the thought of the teen years holds more dread than all the sleepless nights of infancy and scraped knees of childhood combined. After all, teens are obstinate, inconsiderate, and defiant; they sulk and stress; they are prone to bad decisions and unreasonable behavior.

Given the option, most parents would happily skip the storms of adolescence and move right in to the relative calm of young adulthood if they could. Who can blame them when popular wisdom tells them that their lovable twelve-year-old will be replaced by an unpredictable, emotional volcano at the age of thirteen?

Although the word teenager has become synonymous with trouble, the evidence is Adolescents have a bad rap—and according to groundbreaking new research, it’s an undeserved one. In The Good Teen , Richard Lerner lays bare compelling new data on the lives of teens today, dismantling old myths and redefining normal adolescence.

Time and again his work reveals that in spite of the stereotypes, today’s teens are basically good kids who maintain healthy relationships with their families. Overflowing with real-life anecdotes and cutting-edge science, The Good Teen encourages new thinking, new public policies, and new programs that focus on teens’ strengths.

Every teen, whatever their ability or background, has the same potential for healthy and successful development. In The Good Teen , Lerner presents the five personality characteristics, called the 5 Cs, that are proven to fuel positive Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring. When the 5 Cs coalesce, a sixth emerges, where young people contribute to their own development in an energetic and optimistic way. He also prescribes specific ways parents can foster the 5 Cs at home and in their communities.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Psychology, Education

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Michele Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would really give this book 3 1/2 stars. I read it not because my teens are troubled,but because I am new to parenting teens. I have 13 year old twins. I didn't love the premise that there is a stereotype that all teens are troubled. I think my teens are pretty great. Most the teens I know are pretty great.
While this book did give me some insight, I felt most of it was nothing new and I felt like I was already doing a lot of what the book suggested.

[NCHS Library]

From Follett: For many parents the thought of the teen years holds dread: teens are obstinate, inconsiderate, and defiant; they sulk and stress; they are prone to bad decisions and unreasonable behavior. Yet, although the word teenager has become synonymous with trouble, the evidence is clear: the bad rap on adolescents is an undeserved one. Here, child development specialist Lerner dismantles old myths and redefines normal adolescence. His work reveals that in spite of the stereotypes, today's teens are basically good kids who maintain healthy relationships with their families. He presents the personality characteristics, called the 5 Cs, that are proven to fuel positive development: Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring. He also prescribes specific ways parents can foster the 5 Cs at home and in their communities. --From publisher description.

[Gregory Linton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author provides helpful advice and tips on understanding and managing teenage children, much of it based on his own research.

[Mad Dog · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ach!!!! I am not saying that this book does not have some useful (for some) lists and information in it, but I am saying that it exists in a parallel ideal universe that is not much like the universe we live in.

I read about a 1/3 of the book, but could not finish.

My biggest complaint against this book:
All of the examples are so simple and so clean. 'Jake is a good at guitar and wants to be good at swimming. Jake is a little discouraged about his swimming. So I (the parent) remind him that he is good at guitar and that it took time for him to get good at guitar. He is encouraged and continues to work at swimming and becomes a good swimmer'.

If only the problems of parenting were this simple and easy.