Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood

After reading statistics and informed but anxiety fueled " parenting " books that did little more than make me wish I left my head firmly buried in the sand reading this book was a rewarding and confidence building experience.I laughed at the humorous asides that deftly lightened the mood when discussing the frustrating task of guiding a young woman when she is in an intractable state of mind. I recognize better how to engage and when to back off on a subject. The benefit from reading this book was evident immediately and profoundly . Now having just finished ( I had to stop myself from reading in one sitting ) I am ready to set it aside for a short time and then re-read in a more leisurely manner as there is much that I want to ponder and learn on a deeper level than my initial consumption of the material allowed.I frequently see trite comments like 'must read' and ' should be required reading for every parent ' on the sleeves of dust covers and the comment sections online of books that have done little practical good for me personally and have in fact raised my anxiety level precipitously by heaping disturbing statistics on top of mortifying anecdotes without much in the way or any kind of resolution, advice or support. Basically - here is a worst case scenario told in near pornographic language , designed intentionally to horrify unsuspecting parents, backed up by sometimes outdated, misinterpreted statistics that are either too broad or too narrow in scope in apply to your specific environment - and the kicker is it's essentially unavoidable so ' good luck and happy parenting'. ( Girls & Sex : Navigating the Complicated New Landscape - I'm looking at you!)Untangled was a calm , humorous , and informed read with relatable anecdotes and a real compassion for the parent and the teen, that still covered the tricky subjects of teen sex and drug and alcohol abuse ,but in a way that is praiseworthy rather than cringeworthy . In an effort to be transparent , I admit that some of the suggested responses seemed somewhat inadequate to the demand of the situation and I could reasonably see a few of them backfiring in my own circumstances. However, if you believe that I am sincere in my comments and you find yourself in a position of wanting to improve your parenting because of the love and compassion you have for your teen and want practical, applicable, and insightful suggestions on how to do it, then I can give this book my highest recommendation.

The book is structured, easy to read, and extremely helpful. It showcases and explain in an involving manner all the aspects of adolescence, their potential issues, and encourage you to be a better parent. Absolute love it.

I really loved this book and I will continue to refer back to it as-needed. I bought this book because my 13 year-old seemed to be snarky and moody (whereas before she was always lighthearted and playful). I wanted to find a book that would help me understand what she was going through and how, as a parent, I could help her transition to adulthood with the least amount of trauma (for both of us!) My childhood and teen years were abusive and traumatic, so I had little information on how to help my daughter through these years. I just knew I didn't want to make the same mistakes my parents did, but I also didn't know what the right approach was either.This book helped me tremendously. Not only do I understand why my daughter does the things she does, but it clearly lays out what steps I should be taking as a parent to help her understand what she's going through, and how to provide the best kind of feedback and support.I breaks down things very clearly and is an easy read. It explains the science and behavioral reasons of why teens do what they do and what we, as parents, can do to help them through this stage of life.I would recommend this book to all parents, not just people with teen girls. The advice in the book can apply to both boys and girls (although it was written to explain teen girls) and I think it would be helpful for parents of boys as well. I think that if parents of boys read this, it will help them with their sons as well, but it will also help their sons understand where their female peers are coming from. Win-win situation for everyone involved--parents, teen girls, teen boys, and teen boys trying to understand their female peers.

This was excellent. Much of the wisdom will apply to boys. Overall this was a psych passing on wonderful lesson on how to listen better and communicate clearly and from a place of love while guiding adolescents through growth

This book is very informative to help our daughter with our granddaughter. Our granddaughter has reached the age of asking questions and this will also help her by reading this book.

I borrowed this book from the library first, then bought it so I could read it again. So good, I’ve recommended to so many moms. Really great insight into what our girls are going through!

This is an excellent book for parents of pre-teen and teen girls. I found Chapter 5 to be the most helpful at this stage which is 12 years old and 6th grade. Spot on. I would highly recommend this book to parents of pre-teens and teens.

I got this book just at the right time. My daughter is 11, and I'm so glad I got this book when I did, right in her tween years, heading into teen years. The book breaks down the stages of transition into adulthood in an informative way that is easy to understand. The book is also helping me to understand the challenges I had myself as a teen.