HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR PARENTS

A practical guide for teens who wish to improve relationships with their parents.

Drawing from his experiences as someone who faced familial challenges as a teen and now works as a high school psychologist, Goodman provides step-by-step approaches to help teens repair their broken connections with their parents. He begins by helping readers identify their type of “problem parents”: overly critical, argumentative, overinvolved, uninvolved, distracted, emotionally unavailable, or unpredictable. Depending on the specific parental behaviors, Goodman suggests tailored strategies designed to improve interactions, complete with sample scripts. He also emphasizes the importance of teens’ prioritizing their own well-being and setting boundaries. While the book shines a light on complex family dynamics, offering hope and practical solutions, many teenagers may find it hard to apply Goodman’s strategies: He assumes a level of openness in communication that may not exist in all families, particularly those with more hierarchical norms in which open dialogue about personal feelings is uncommon or even frowned upon. Goodman also assumes a willingness on the part of parents to engage in dialogue and consider their children’s perspectives, which isn’t always the case. The book doesn’t address situations such as parental queerphobia or cultural differences with immigrant parents. Ultimately, the book’s effectiveness depends on its use by emotionally mature teens and parents who are receptive to critical feedback.

A limited but potentially useful jumping-off point.