How to Grow a Grown Up: Prepare Your Teen for the Real World

by Dominique Thompson Dr, Fabienne Vailes

Whether you have a teen who is struggling with exam pressure, a young adult who hasn’t settled into university life or you are curious about what lies ahead for your younger child, How to Grow a Grown Up will help you to build your child's confidence and resilience - so they can become a strong, happy and independent adult. We’re fast approaching the 3rd decade of the 21st century and it’s a very different world from the one in which parents (and teachers) grew up in. Challenging issues have come together – including cyber bullying, ‘always-on’ culture and ever increasing pressure to do well – to create a perfect storm. The result is that teenagers and young adults are now less prepared for a more challenging world – and if they don’t develop the skills they need to help them thrive they can become easy prey to mental health problems. In this book Dr Dominique Thompson, the UK’s leading GP on student mental health and educational expert Fabienne Vailes, reveal what exactly parents need to do to help teenagers and young adults in this new world – and how to manage problems along the way. It *An overview of the pressures and problems facing this generation of young people - why are they increasingly stressed, anxious or suffering from mental health issues *What exactly parents can do to help their teens and young adults become healthily independent, navigate challenges and flourish in preparation for adult life *How pastoral care at universities and workplaces is changing, and what a parent’s role could and should be *Ways to recognise the signs of mental health distress and what to do about it, particularly dealing with problems from a distance

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2019

Reviews

[Simon Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really practical book. It helped me see the assumption that my own experiences as a teenager translated into the 21st century, might not be as fit for purpose as I thought, and also that what it takes to parent children as they move toward adulthood now, could do with some tweaks. It shows how much things have changed for our kids over the last few years and helps us with things that we can do to make them more resilient and hopefully, happier adults. It has a relaxed style but is also written so that you can to dip in and out. I really like the Parent Pointers that, in each chapter, summarise the things we are able to do to make a difference. As a more general thought- we spend days and days researching and finding the right school or college for our kids but seldom put the time aside to reflect on how we could help our children or at least I hadn't very much until I read How to Grow a Grown Up.

[Luke Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book that should be treated as a guide to refer back to more than a cover to cover read. Really liked the reference to world studies so it wasnt just an opinionated read. As for being a reference manual, I liked the summary sections for tips and guides. The only minor reason I didn't give it 5 star is would have liked to have seen a reference to the age-relevant sections or challenges currently going through. For my 11year old, the university and college sections weren't relevant but read regardless as will need to consider later on.

[Claire Milne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an informative, easy to read boom that covered many areas.