This is not the first book Hal and Melanie Young have written. They are award-winning authors of Raising Real Men and My Beloved and My Friend: How to Be Married to Your Best Friend Without Changing Spouses. They have four boys and two girls so I think they know a little bit about raising kids. They had heard how raising teenagers could be but nothing about the tween years and how hard they can be so Hal & Melanie decided to write their own book to help other families get through this time.
- Getting Bigger: Hormones and Body Changes
- The Rollercoaster: Emotional Upheaval
- Brains Turn To Mush: Why School Goes Away
- Many A Conflict, Many A Doubt: spiritual Questioning
- The Awakening: Sexuality and Virtue
- Social Struggles: Overcoming Awkwardness
- Media, Gamin, and Discernment: More Then Amusement
- Conflict At Home: Family Relationships
- Transitioning: Youth in the Bible
- Celebrating Growth: Coming of Age Ceremonies
- Producers, Not Consumers: Work and Stewardship
- The Next Big Thing: High School and Beyond
Hormone changes start in our children way before the outward signs are present. Hal & Melanie learned this from raising their eight kids through it and they realized how crucial the tween years are for their physical and spiritual development. They start out by explaining what can be expected of our boys and girls during this time. They use examples from their own family to show how some kids may behave. If you have older kids you know that no matter what kind of student you had when you first started homeschooling there is a time when your student fails miserably. The book explains that it is nothing we have done nor is it the child's fault and there are tips on how to deal with those times our kid's brains just aren't' working the way they used to. The book talks about inappropriate internet usage, bullying and being bullied, online gaming, and relationships. Hal and Melanie explains how to encourage our kids to have a biblically based view of relationships and how to glorify God in those relationships whether they are family, friends, or those of the opposite sex. When their kids were ready to become adults they chose to have a ceremony to initiate their children into adulthood and they tell us how each of their children had chosen party themes that interested them. There is even a sample invitation to help with planning your own. The last chapters talk about being good stewards and how kids can earn their own money and then lastly how to encourage them into deciding what to do with their adult lives.
Hal & Melanie are a wealth of knowledge and encouragement. I have read their work and followed their articles for many years and this new book is a great addition to their other work. As most of you know we have two adult children and three teenagers in our home right now. Our oldest is a boy and then we had four girls. After reading No Longer Little I have heard some of the same comments over the years from other people that the Young's have. I feel their advice and encouragement are spot on and I wish I had been given their advice twenty some years ago when our oldest was still little. Their style of writing makes you feel like you are having a conversation with goods friends and that you have known them personally for years. They keep their writing very real by giving real-life examples and using some quotes of conversations that they have had to deal with. This book is a must-read for anyone with kids and should not only be read well before they reach the tween years, but reread latter when you are actually going through the situations.
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