Standing Strong: Good Discipline Makes Great Teens

Sarah Torbeck reviews Dr. Ray Guarendi's new parenting book, especially for parents navigating their children's teenage years.

The last group of well-intentioned parents has finally boarded the Starship Indulgetron, and you shed a tear as you watch them blaze into Milton Bradley’s deep-space version of Candy Land. You shake your head as they disappear into the ether, and you wonder: am I the only parent still living on Planet Sensibilia?

Well, keep your feet firmly planted on the ground, earth dwellers, because Dr. Ray Guarendi, author of Standing Strong: Good Discipline Makes Great Teens, is here with his light saber of common sense and helmet of critical thinking.

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For parents, it can be difficult to discern the proper course of instruction and correction when it comes to our most precious enterprise: our children; especially when our beautiful cherubs morph into teenagers. In our current culture, we are regularly bombarded with fads, ideas, warnings, and even prohibitions. Sometimes it seems almost impossible to navigate the galactic highway of sensible child-rearing.

Tired of the sci-fi metaphors yet? Yeah, me too. (Besides, I can’t think of any more.) But I hope my intent is appealing and somewhat comforting. Sensible parenting still exists, and Dr. Ray Guarendi gives us assurance—and occasionally overt permission—to exercise the profound instincts that lurk in the psyche of most parents.

Dr. Guarendi is an acclaimed Catholic psychologist, father, and speaker. He has studied and lived the life of child-rearing—which equips him to offer expert advice on a variety of issues that are targeted for teens; yet the principles he promotes are applicable for almost any stage in a child’s development. His style is intelligent yet humorous; knowledgeable but self-effacing. It is a refreshing and easy-to-read combination.

The book is also organized into a searchable question and answer format. Topics are individually listed in the Table of Contents, which may expedite the occasional frantic search (if warranted) thus providing additional time for scolding, articulating, or laying down the law.

I thoroughly enjoyed Standing Strong. In fact, I have already recommended it to three frustrated earth-dwellers who are out there fighting the good fight against the galactic tyranny of permissiveness, vacillation, and fear of failure.

Stand strong, earth-dwellers. Common sense, prudence, and order will win in the end, if Dr. Guarendi has anything to say about it.

And remember: the point is to raise healthy, thoughtful, and well-adjusted adults … who live long and prosper.

Ask for Standing Strong at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Sophia Institute Press.

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

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