Dear Mom (and giveaway!)

Being the mom of 3 girls and one boy, I do think ahead to what the next parenting stage will be like. People keep telling me I am in the easiest stage of parenthood and that parenting girls as teens is so much more difficult.

I heard a comedian once describe talking to teenagers this way -

"Where are you going?" "Nowhere"
"Who else is going?" "Noone"
"What are you going to do?" "Nothing"
"Then why are you going?" "Sheesh, I don't know, I'm just bored!"

Enough to drive even the sanest parent crazy. Maybe I am just optimistic, but surely my darlings won't do that? Oh, you say they probably will? Hmm, we'll see...

Every mom knows how communicating with a teenage girl can be difficult, even impossible at times. One-word answers. Defensive conversations. Daily arguments. How typical for teens to put up such barriers. All the while, moms truly long to know what their daughters really think.

Bestselling author Melody Carlson, whose books for women, teens, and children have sold more than three million copies, bridges this chasm with trusted insight. She speaks frankly in the voice of the teen daughters she’s written for and she tells it like it is: struggles with identity, guys, friendship, and even parents—it’s all here. The straight-talk to moms covers such things as “I need you, but you can’t make me admit it,” “I’m not as confident as I appear,” and “I have friends. I need a mother.”

Instead of focusing on outward behaviors, Dear Mom looks at a young woman’s heart and reveals to moms:

· how to talk to teens so they hear,

· how to connect despite the differences of perspective or years and experiences,

· and how strengthen the bond every mom and daughter ultimately wants.

The lively chapters in Dear Mom can be dipped into topically or used as a read-through tool by moms and daughters alike to understand what motivates or deflates, troubles or inspires—and just in time for Mother’s Day and all the Mother’s Days ahead.


Check out more here.

Guess what? I have a copy to give away! Leave a comment about your relationship with your teen daughter or your relationship with your mom when you were a teen. Get an extra entry for following the blog (leave a separate comment letting me know you are a follower or became one). I'll select a winner on Mother's Day and announce it on Monday, May 11!