Lantern Books

To Change a Mind 
 Parenting to Promote Maturity in Teenagers

A young person's misbehavior might get labelled as a 
disease and treated with a pill, but the problem often persists. 
This book shows that old-fashioned immaturity may be the cause. 
Maturity doesn't happen automatically, McKinnon explains. 
It only happens when a kid gets "recognition" and "limits."
I didn't understand recognition until I read this book. Giving 
a trophy to every kid on a soccer team is not recognition. 
Kids want their true selves to be seen. If they are struggling 
in soccer they need a trusted adult to see that. Parents are 
often tempted to look away from their children's struggles. 
Of course, parents sometimes focus too much on a child's 
shortcomings without recognizing the good. 
Seeing both the good and the bad according to the facts 
of the moment is not an easy skill for a parent. This book 
shows how to give your child the authentic recognition 
they need to mature.
Many kids don't get it, so their child-like behavior continues 
into their teen years. Their juvenile narcissism gets bad results 
with peers and with teachers. This leads to mounting 
disappointment and frustration, but a kid can't change 
on their own. They need an adult to enforce limits and 
provide frequent recognition. Without this, they are likely 
to vent their frustration in immature, self-destructive ways. 
At this point, McKinnon says, the problem can't be solved 
"at the synaptic level." The kid needs new behaviors. 
They need a mature approach to life.

  207pages

ISBN-13: 9781590562345/

Publish Date: January 2011