Cleared for Takeoff! : 50 Ways Parents Can Help Their Teenagers Grow up, Out and into a Life of Their Own

by RICE, WAYNE

• ISBN13: 9780849942013
• ISBN10: 0849942012
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2000-09-05
• Publisher: W Pub Group

Summary

Are you preparing your teenager to leave the nest?It has been said that the ultimate goal of parenting is to work yourself out of a job. But if you are like most parents of teenagers, your ultimate goal is to just make it through the day. You probably aren't thinking that far ahead. Besides, you probably can't imagine your children ever surviving on their own-without you!Every parent since Adam and Eve has harbored serious doubts about their offsprings' ability to become responsible, self-reliant adults. For many parents today, those doubts have turned to sheer panic. In Cleared for Takeoff!, Wayne Rice offers 50 clear, bite-size nuggets of wisdom to help you navigate the course and instill the four R's-Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reverence-into your teenager. They include: Be a matchmaker Find some common ground Influence their influencers Provide rites of passage Become a mentor Discover their passion Go ballistic for the right reasons Tackle temptationCleared for Takeoff! is the handbook that will help you stay calm and confident as a parent while charting your teenager's course to success. And, it will help you enjoy the time you have with your teenager at home a whole lot more!

Table of Contents

Introduction	v
Raise an Eagle, Not a Prairie Chicken	1	(5)
Build a Strong Nest	6	(5)
Put It in a Strong Tree	11	(4)
Celebrate Your Marriage Big-Time	15	(4)
Elect Yourself President-for-Life by Divine Right	19	(4)
Don't Be a Geek	23	(4)
Act Your Age	27	(3)
Invest Wisely	30	(4)
Circle the Wagons	34	(4)
Anticipate Their Adolescence	38	(4)
Anticipate Your Obsolescence	42	(6)
Don't Buy All the Bad News	48	(4)
Focus on the Four Rs	52	(4)
Give Them the Rite Stuff	56	(6)
Influence Their Influencers	62	(5)
Let Go and Let Them Grow	67	(4)
Keep Your Distance but Keep Close	71	(6)
Prompt Their Passions	77	(5)
Don't Let School Get in the Way of Their Education	82	(5)
Eliminate the Homework Hassle	87	(4)
Show Them What You Know	91	(4)
Give Their Dreams Some Direction	95	(4)
Make Chores Mandatory	99	(5)
Build Their Tolerance for Frustration	104	(4)
Resist the Urge to Rescue	108	(5)
Teach Them the Truth about Consequences	113	(5)
Limit Actions, Not Attitudes	118	(5)
Pick Your Battles Wisely	123	(4)
Put a Sock in It	127	(5)
Don't Require Them to Misbehave	132	(5)
Lighten Up	137	(4)
Help Them Harness Their Hormones	141	(5)
Wean Them off Your Wallet	146	(6)
Monitor the Monitors in Your Home	152	(6)
Fire the Chauffeur	158	(5)
Raise a Hope Addict, Not a Dope Addict	163	(4)
Learn the Art of Stealth Communication	167	(5)
Be Ready to Listen When They're Ready to Talk	172	(4)
Give Them a Shot at Changing the World	176	(4)
Help Them Find a Job with Benefits	180	(4)
Provide Them with Landing Gear	184	(3)
Check Out Their Flight Plan	187	(4)
Help Them Get a Higher Education	191	(4)
Put a Copilot in Their Future	195	(4)
Send Them on a Solo Flight	199	(3)
Say Good-Bye and Let 'Em Fly	202	(5)
Redecorate the Nest	207	(4)
Stay Out of Their Airspace	211	(3)
Be Patient with Homing Pigeons	214	(5)
Let Them Complete the Journey on Their Own	219	(2)
Sources and Recommended Reading	221