I first met Elizabeth Caldwell when she volunteered to run an author spotlights section at simegen.com and participate in writing the WorldCraftrs Guild Heritage Soap Opera. Since my teens are now in their 30's, I doubt I'd have noticed this book otherwise.And I would have been the poorer for it. This is one of those deceptively simple books -- it is much more than it appears on the surface.Most books about surviving the raising of teens into adults are about do's and don'ts -- about advice. About how to handle common situations. "A Bewildered Parent's Guide" is about the process of becoming the parent of a 30 year old who used to be your teenager. This is the book to read BEFORE you read the "how to" books. It requires as much shift-change-growth on the part of the parent as it does on the part of the teen. Every time the teen changes, the parent and the parenting-style have to shift to make room for the changes in the teen. Every time the parent changes, the teen is then forced to shift-change-become more mature. This book describes that process without actually talking about it. This book shows us in objective language that doesn't trigger fulminating emotions what that process is -- without telling. That "show don't tell" is one of the keys to good writing we teach at the WorldCrafters Guild. If you want to be told, choose from among any number of books on raising children. This is the best book I've seen based on showing. "A Bewildered Parent's Guide" describes the principles, issues, and processes behind the advice you find in other books. It's the kind of book you'll use, then save to give to your kids when they have kids. Live Long and Prosper, Jacqueline Lichtenberg
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