Andrea Marks, M.D., and Betty Rothbart, M.S.W., take a unique approach they focus on the interplay of physical, mental, emotional, and social issues that make these years such a challenging time. They show how physical health concerns must be considered within the context of the three main goals of adolescence:
gaining independence
clarifying sexual identity
Finding a realistic, satisfying place in society
Combining authoritative information with sound advice on communicating with teens, who really do want and need their parents' help (even though at times it may seem otherwise), Healthy Teens, Body and Soul will teach parents how to open the lines of communication that will result in healthier, happier teens (and parents!).
Andrea Marks, M.D., and Betty Rothbart, M.S.W., take a unique approach they focus on the interplay of physical, mental, emotional, and social issues that make these years such a challenging time. They show how physical health concerns must be considered within the context of the three main goals of adolescence:
gaining independence
clarifying sexual identity
Finding a realistic, satisfying place in society
Combining authoritative information with sound advice on communicating with teens, who really do want and need their parents' help (even though at times it may seem otherwise), Healthy Teens, Body and Soul will teach parents how to open the lines of communication that will result in healthier, happier teens (and parents!).
Healthy Teens, Body and Soul: A Parent's Complete Guide
384Healthy Teens, Body and Soul: A Parent's Complete Guide
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Overview
Andrea Marks, M.D., and Betty Rothbart, M.S.W., take a unique approach they focus on the interplay of physical, mental, emotional, and social issues that make these years such a challenging time. They show how physical health concerns must be considered within the context of the three main goals of adolescence:
gaining independence
clarifying sexual identity
Finding a realistic, satisfying place in society
Combining authoritative information with sound advice on communicating with teens, who really do want and need their parents' help (even though at times it may seem otherwise), Healthy Teens, Body and Soul will teach parents how to open the lines of communication that will result in healthier, happier teens (and parents!).
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780743225618 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Touchstone |
Publication date: | 02/04/2003 |
Edition description: | Original |
Pages: | 384 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Healthy Teens, Body and Soul
A Parent's Complete GuideBy Andrea Marks Betty Rothbart
Fireside
Copyright © 2003 Andrea Marks, M.D. Betty Rothbart, M.S.W. and Skylight PressAll right reserved.
ISBN: 0-7432-2561-9
Introduction
We chose the title Healthy Teens, Body and Soul because we feel optimistic and upbeat about adolescence as a time of great energy, resilience, and potential. Yet many health professionals, educators, and above all parents anticipate adolescence with trepidation, fearful that communication and camaraderie, contentment and safety will be difficult to sustain. Indeed, for some adolescents, the teen years are fraught with high levels of stress, unhealthy behaviors, and a decline in overall well-being. But for the great majority of young people, adolescence is a stage of remarkable positive growth in both body and soul.In a mere ten flash-by years our young children become adults. Through their teen years they must build the knowledge and wisdom and strength to face the world independently. We believe that there are many significant ways their parents can help them thrive. We challenge the clich that adolescence is a time when teens and parents inevitably must part company - going their separate, even antagonistic, ways. The parent-child relationship certainly changes, but teens still want and need their parents' love and involvement. Indeed, adolescentswho feel connected to their families and their schools participate in fewer health risk behaviors and feel happier and more secure.
OUR EXPERIENCES HAVE TAUGHT US
Each of us brings to this book both a professional and a personal perspective.
Andrea Marks: As a doctor specializing in adolescent medicine for the past thirty years, directing hospital-based academic programs and in private practice, and the mother of daughters, now ages 18 and 20, I spend a great deal of time talking with teens. I have learned from listening to my patients and my own children how vital to them are the adults, especially parents, in their lives. While fully respecting adolescent patients' rights to privacy and confidentiality, I welcome their parents' involvement in their care. I have learned that it is far easier for parents to step back and let their children relate independently with me when they feel recognized, not marginalized. In fact, most adolescents are relieved and pleased that their parents get to know me. Maintaining that delicate balance between moving in and moving out is the art of adolescent medicine and the art of adolescent parenting. Mutual respect and trust among the members of the "health care team" - the teen, the doctor, the parent - are key to a successful outcome.
Betty Rothbart: As the mother of a daughter, 20, and a son, 16, and with more than twenty-five years' experience as a psychiatric social worker, educator, consultant to health organizations, and author of books on health and parenting, I have had various windows into adolescents' health needs, as well as their family, peer, and school experiences. Whether counseling teenage girls in a group home, training teachers in health and sexuality education, or teaching parent-adolescent communication workshops, time and again I have found a common thread. Adolescents yearn to be close with their parents (even though they might not show it), and parents want to be close with their adolescents (even though they aren't confident that they understand their children's world). The push-pull of adolescent-parent relationships is nothing new, of course. But in our fast-changing world, complicated by forces as varied as technological advances and terrorist threats, I observe that the role of parents as a stable source of love and guidance is more important than ever.
A HEALTH-PARTNERING APPROACH
Healthy Teens, Body and Soul gives you the facts about adolescent health, along with strategies for communicating with your teen. Our goal is to promote adolescent health, family closeness, and support during and beyond the teen years.
Parents can most successfully influence their adolescents' health by becoming their health partners. This means that over the course of adolescence, parents adapt their guidance and level of involvement to reflect and respond to their adolescents' evolving maturity and desire for independence. Throughout the book, you will find health-partnering tips that suggest large and small ways to support your adolescents' health and deliver or reinforce health messages.
How do adolescents grow and change? Chapter 1, "The Stages and Tasks of Adolescent Development," shows how their development can be understood as a series of three stages: early, middle, and late adolescence. At each stage, they grapple with the three tasks of adolescence: to gain independence, to clarify sexual identity, and to explore their self-image and their role in society. This chapter presents some fundamental ways that you can strengthen your relationship and communication throughout the adolescent years.
Chapter 2, "A Doctor of Their Own," introduces a key member of your adolescent's support team: a doctor or other health care provider who understands adolescents' needs. We discuss how to select the right doctor for your adolescent's ongoing care and what to expect from a health visit, especially the annual checkup.
Chapter 3, "The Basics: Nutrition, Exercise, and Sleep," addresses a crucial trio of core health practices that can support your adolescent's daily and long-term well-being.
In chapter 4, "Common Health Problems of Boys and Girls," we discuss a wide range of health problems of which all parents of adolescents should be aware. Chapter 5, "Health Issues for Your Daughter," and chapter 6, "Health Issues for Your Son," focus on gender-specific concerns.
Chapter 7, "Coping with Chronic Health Problems," addresses the coping skills needed by adolescents who do not have the luxury of taking their health for granted. Even as they must keep their special health needs in mind, these young people face the same tasks of adolescence as their peers.
Central concerns for all parents of adolescents are addressed in the next three chapters. Chapter 8, "Risks and Realities of Teen Sexuality," explores sexual health and decision making. In chapter 9, "No Teen Is Immune: Substance Use and Abuse," we discuss the dangers of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Chapter 10, "Panic at the Mirror: Teens and Eating Disorders," helps you understand the "disordered eating" that can lead to anorexia, bulimia, obesity, and binge-eating disorder.
Chapter 11, "Your Teen's Mental Health," covers a broad spectrum of concerns ranging from common stresses associated with family life, school, and peers, to mental illnesses and how to get help for your child.
We conclude with chapter 12, "Preventing Accidents and Injuries," on how to help keep your teen safe on the athletic field, at an after-school job, on the road, and elsewhere.
Appendices provide you with books to read, organizations to contact, hot lines to call, and websites to consult. There is also a list of health-related fiction and nonfiction books that your adolescent can enjoy reading, learning from, and sharing with friends. Read these books yourself, too, so you can talk about them with your child and perhaps increase your awareness of adolescent life.
TAKE CARE, TAKE PRIDE
As parents of adolescents ourselves, we know how much fun - and how challenging - the experience can be. Children are never predictable. We can never chart a course for their lives and expect that they'll follow our hopeful plans. Every child is unique; what works with one might fail miserably with another. To help a child succeed, we must tune in to the individuality of his or her temperament, abilities, and hurdles. We must empathically teach our children to take responsibility and problem-solve in ways that work for them. Figuring out each child's subtle needs is a vital skill that makes parenting more gratifying.
As our children mature, we continue to support them in making their own plans and shaping their own lives. We take pride in their accomplishments, competence, and growth. We must never forget that the health decisions adolescents make along the way will affect their futures as much as - perhaps even more than - the other choices they make.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Healthy Teens, Body and Soul by Andrea Marks Betty Rothbart Copyright © 2003 by Andrea Marks, M.D. Betty Rothbart, M.S.W. and Skylight Press. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1 The Stages and Tasks of Adolescent Development
What to Do About the Fears
Defining Adolescence
The Tasks of Adolescence
Early Adolescence:
Ages 10 to 14 the Middle School/Junior High Years
Health-Partnering in Early Adolescence
Middle Adolescence:
Ages 15 to 18 the High School Years
Health-Partnering in Middle Adolescence
Late Adolescence:
Ages 18 to 21 the Years After High School
Health-Partnering in Late Adolescence
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Chapter 2 A Doctor of Their Own
A Unique Set of Health Risks
Building Trust
Talking About Values
A New Role for Parents
Your Teen in the Driver's Seat
Stay with the Pediatrician or Find a New Doctor?
An Office with Teen Appeal
The First Visit
Information Parents Provide
Meeting the Teen
The Doctor-Teen Dialogue
Bringing the Full Team Together
Privacy and Confidentiality
Frequency and Scope of Visits
The Adolescent Checkup
The Physical Examination
Laboratory Tests
Immunizations
Adolescents as Medical Consumers
Overcoming Barriers
A Medical Consumer Prepares
Urgent Symptoms
An Ongoing Relationship
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Chapter 3 The Basics: Nutrition, Exercise, and Sleep
Health Basic #1: Nutrition
Growth Spurts in Weight and Height
A Healthy Weight Gain
The Nutrients Your Adolescent Needs
Vitamins and Minerals: Via Nature or Supplement?
Nutrition Labels
Water
Vegetarian Teens
Breakfast, a Brilliant Idea
Health-Partnering for Nutrition
Health Basic #2: Exercise
An Epidemic of Obesity
Exercise Can Heighten the Joy of Living
At the Computer, Hours of Sitting Still
ard
At School: More Sitting
Advocating for Improved Physical Education
Three Forms of Fitness
Health-Partnering for Exercise
Health Basic #3: Sleep
Adolescents' Sleep Needs
When Sleep Needs Are Not Met
Healthy Sleep Patterns
When High Schools Wake Up
Insomnia
Sleep Disorders Associated with Excessive Sleep
Health-Partnering for Sleep
Chapter 4 Common Health Problems of Girls and Boys
Illness in Context
The One Best Way to Prevent Illness
How and When to Wash Hands
Washing Hands in School
Washing Hands at Home
Body Odor and Other Hygiene Matters
Hygiene or Style?
Skin and Hair
Acne
How to Talk with an Adolescent About Acne
How Does Your Teen Deal with Having Acne?
How Can You Help? Ask Your Child
What to Do About Acne
How Can Acne be Treated?
Dry Skin
Tough Guys in Winter
Dermatitis
Contact Dermatitis
Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis)
Seborrheic Dermatitis
Suntans are "Skinjury"
Piercing and Tattoos
Hair Loss
Eyes
Vision Testing
Eye Ailments
Eye Care
Ears
Oral Health
Dental Caries
Bad Breath (Halitosis)
Gum Disease
Braces
Braces Pay Off, But You Might Have to Pay
Special Care Protects Braces
When Braces Come Off
The Basics of Oral Care
Helping Your Adolescent Stay Motivated
Respiratory Problems
Colds
Sinusitis and Otitis Media
Bronchitis
Pneumonia
Flu
Meningitis
Infectious Mononucleosis
Gut Feelings
Constipation
Diarrhea
Persistent Symptoms and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Promoting Healthy Digestion
Enuresis and Encopresis
Bed-wetting (Enuresis)
Encopresis
Scoliosis
Diagnosing Scoliosis
Treatment
Back Pain
Headaches, Dizziness, Fatigue
Tension Headaches
Migraine Headaches
Dizziness
Fatigue
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Chapter 5 Health Issues for Your Daughter
The Puberty Experience for Girls
Tanner Stages for Girls, and Related Changes
Learning About the Female Body
Why Your Daughter Needs to Learn How Her Body Works
She Can See for Herself
External Genitalia
Internal Organs
Anatomical Differences Between Adolescent Girls and Women
The Menstrual Cycle: Preparation, Release, Renewal
Preparation
Release
Renewal
Some Things About Menstruation Your Daughter Should Know
Pad or Tampon?
Toxic Shock Syndrome and Safe Tampon Use
Menstrual Concerns and Disorders
Cranky and Crampy: Premenstrual Syndrome
Cramps and Dysmenorrhea (Painful Menstruation)
Primary Dysmenorrhea
Treatment of Menstrual Pain
Secondary Dysmenorrhea
Amenorrhea
Primary Amenorrhea
Secondary Amenorrhea
The Female Athlete Triad
She'll Feel It in Her Bones
Trapped in the Triad
Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding
Vaginal Hygiene and Health
Vaginal Discharge: Signs of Puberty and Ovulation
Vulvovaginitis
Bacterial Vaginitis
Yeast Infection
Gardnerella Vaginalis
Trichomoniasis
Urinary Tract (Bladder and Kidney) Infections
Common Infections Especially Among Women
Why Urinary Tract Infections Occur
Seek Help Promptly
How to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections or Recurrence
Breast Concerns and Disorders
Breast Self-Exam
Visual Inspection
Palpating (Feeling) the Breasts
Her First Gynecologic Exam
Body Image: Help Your Daughter Accept Herself
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Chapter 6 Health Issues for Your Son
When Does Puberty Begin?
Tanner Stages for Boys, and Related Changes
How the Male Body Works
The Male Genitalia
Why the Scrotum Contracts and Relaxes
Two Perils of Tight Jeans
Explaining Erections
Wet Dreams
The Myth of "Blue Balls"
Retrograde Ejaculation
Hematospermia
The Role of Preseminal Fluid
Testicular Cancer and the Importance of Self-Exams
Testicular Self-Exam
Scrotal Disorders
Testicular Torsion
Warning Signs of Testicular Torsion
Epididymitis
Warning Signs of Epididymitis
Orchitis
Varicocele
Inguinal Hernia
Hydrocele
Spermatocele
Trauma
When to See a Doctor After Testicular Trauma
Cryptorchidism
Testicular Implant
Underdeveloped Testicles
Penile Hygiene and Disease Prevention
Cleaning Under the Foreskin
Phimosis and Paraphimosis
Balanitis
Symptoms of Balanitis
Tinea Cruris ("Jock Itch")
Penile Disorders
Pink Pearly Papules
Hypospadias and Epispadias
Priapism
Impotence
Urethritis
Symptoms of Urethritis
Gynecomastia
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Chapter 7 Coping with Chronic Health Problems
Chronic Health Problems Differ
Health Coping Skills
Adolescent Task #1: To Gain Independence
Levels of Help from a Medical Support Team
Support Groups and Mentors
Baby Steps Add Up
The Urge to Rebel
0
Independence of Mind
Adolescent Task #2: To Clarify Sexual Identity
An Unseen Disease
The Naked Truth
Visibly Different
Mature Body, Childlike Mind
Adolescent Task #3: To Explore Societal Role and Self-Image
Just Another Set of Habits
Accommodations and Alternatives
Translating Disability into Passion
In the Shadows: Depression and Unsafe Behaviors
Depression
Substance Abuse
Risk-Taking Sexual Behavior
Poor Compliance with Health Care
Family Stress
Exploring the Possible
"UnpredictAbility"
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Arthritis
Asthma
Cancer
Diabetes Mellitus
Epilepsy (Seizure Disorders)
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Chapter 8 Risks and Realities of Teen Sexuality
A Sexualized Culture
The Importance of Parents' Voices
Sexuality: An Integral Part of Life
Adolescents' Sexuality Issues
Gender Identity
A Parent's Perspective
Sexuality and Decision Making
A Parent's Perspective
Forming Healthy Relationships
Timing
Staying Busy
Living a Well-Rounded Life
Masturbation
A Parent's Perspective
Sexual Limit Setting
A Parent's Perspective
Sexual Orientation
A Parent's Perspective
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
A Parent's Perspective
STD Symptoms
Some Sexually Transmitted Diseases Your Teen Must Know About
Condoms
Correct Condom Use
Words That Keep You Safer
Contraception
A Parent's Perspective
The Most Common Contraceptive Choices for Adolescents
The Morning-After Pill/Emergency Contraception
If Pregnancy Occurs
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Chapter 9 No Teen Is Immune: Substance Use and Abuse
Why Adolescents Use
Talking with Teens About Abstaining
Connected Adolescents Abstain or Wait
Not Everyone Is Using
Abstinence versus "Harm Reduction"
Tobacco
Cigarettes as Social Accessory
Effects of Smoking, Now and Later
Bidis, Cigars, and Smokeless Tobacco Are Risky, Too
Quitting the Tobacco Habit
How Parents Can Help
Tobacco as a Gateway Drug
Alcohol
Alcohol and Health
Legal and Lethal: Drinking and Driving
You Don't Have to Stumble
Help for the Adolescent Problem Drinker
Illicit Drugs
Marijuana
Help for the Adolescent Marijuana Smoker
Inhalants
Help for the Adolescent Inhalant User
Stimulants
Amphetamines
Cocaine
Help for the Adolescent User of Stimulants
Hallucinogens and Club Drugs
Ecstasy
Rohypnol
GHB
Ketamine
LSD
Help for the Adolescent User of Hallucinogens
Opiates
Help for the Adolescent User of Opiates
Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids
Help for the Adolescent User of Steroids
Signs of Drug and Alcohol Use
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Chapter 10 Panic at the Mirror: Teens and Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders and the Hazards of Thinness
The Runaway Body
Rich Fashion Models, Poor Role Models
The Lost Aesthetic of Body Diversity
Family and Peer Pressures
Peers and Community Play a Role
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa: Both Defining and Threatening Life
Diagnosing Anorexia Nervosa
Health Risks of Anorexia Nervosa
Laboratory Tests
Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa
Through Treatment, a New Direction
Bulimia Nervosa
Hidden Rituals
Diagnosing Bulimia Nervosa
Health Risks
Treatment
Binge-Eating Disorder
Eating Disorders "Not Otherwise Specified"
Overeating to Obesity
Obesity as a Social Hardship
Is It "Baby Fat" or Obesity?
Diets Are a Detour
Reveal Remedies by Identifying the Causes
A Weight-Loss Coach
Reshaping Habits
A Parent's Words
Setting Realistic Goals
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Chapter 11 Your Teen's Mental Health
The First Step: Seeing Mental Health in Context
Common Family Stresses
Illness or Death of a Family Member
Parents' Unemployment or Financial Problems
Abusive or Substance-Abusing Parents
Parental Conflict, Separation, or Divorce
Common School Stresses
Overwhelming Academic Demands
Problems with Peers
School Phobia
Common Stresses with Peers
Loneliness
Peer Pressure
Teasing and Bullying
Heartache
Dating Abuse
Therapies and Therapists
When Adolescents Resist Therapy
Learning Disabilities and Attentional Disorders
Learning Disabilities
Attention Deficit Disorder
Advocating for Your Child at School
Mental Illness in Adolescents
Mood Disorders
Depression
Bipolar Disorder
Suicide
Self-Injury
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Schizophrenia
Seeking Help
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Chapter 12 Preventing Accidents and Injuries
An Urgent Need for Prevention
Conveying the Safety Message
Evading Emergencies
Six E's for Effective Communication with Your Teen
Preventing Sports Injuries
First Step: Get Your Doctor's Go-Ahead
rCheck Out the Game, Gear, and Clothes
Warm Up and Cool Down
Stay Cool
Avoid Steroids and Other Performance-Enhancing Drugs
Safety on the Job
Driving Safety
Hell on Wheels
Learning to Drive
Auto Attitude
Steps for Keeping Your Young Driver Safe
How to Be a Healthy Driver
Car Care and Emergency Preparedness
Family Driving Rules
Violence and Adolescent Life
Seeds of Violence
Protecting Teens
Coping with Injury
Health-Partnering Tips for Parents
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Books for Teens (and Their Parents)
Resources
Hot Lines and Related Websites
Index
Introduction
Introduction
We chose the title Healthy Teens, Body and Soul because we feel optimistic and upbeat about adolescence as a time of great energy, resilience, and potential. Yet many health professionals, educators, and above all parents anticipate adolescence with trepidation, fearful that communication and camaraderie, contentment and safety will be difficult to sustain. Indeed, for some adolescents, the teen years are fraught with high levels of stress, unhealthy behaviors, and a decline in overall well-being. But for the great majority of young people, adolescence is a stage of remarkable positive growth in both body and soul.
In a mere ten flash-by years our young children become adults. Through their teen years they must build the knowledge and wisdom and strength to face the world independently. We believe that there are many significant ways their parents can help them thrive. We challenge the cliché that adolescence is a time when teens and parents inevitably must part company -- going their separate, even antagonistic, ways. The parent-child relationship certainly changes, but teens still want and need their parents' love and involvement. Indeed, adolescents who feel connected to their families and their schools participate in fewer health risk behaviors and feel happier and more secure.
Each of us brings to this book both a professional and a personal perspective.
Andrea Marks: As a doctor specializing in adolescent medicine for the past thirty years, directing hospital-based academic programs and in private practice, and the mother of daughters, now ages 18 and 20, I spend a great deal of time talking with teens. I have learned from listening to my patients and my own children how vital to them are the adults, especially parents, in their lives. While fully respecting adolescent patients' rights to privacy and confidentiality, I welcome their parents' involvement in their care. I have learned that it is far easier for parents to step back and let their children relate independently with me when they feel recognized, not marginalized. In fact, most adolescents are relieved and pleased that their parents get to know me. Maintaining that delicate balance between moving in and moving out is the art of adolescent medicine and the art of adolescent parenting. Mutual respect and trust among the members of the "health care team" -- the teen, the doctor, the parent -- are key to a successful outcome.Betty Rothbart: As the mother of a daughter, 20, and a son, 16, and with more than twenty-five years' experience as a psychiatric social worker, educator, consultant to health organizations, and author of books on health and parenting, I have had various windows into adolescents' health needs, as well as their family, peer, and school experiences. Whether counseling teenage girls in a group home, training teachers in health and sexuality education, or teaching parent-adolescent communication workshops, time and again I have found a common thread. Adolescents yearn to be close with their parents (even though they might not show it), and parents want to be close with their adolescents (even though they aren't confident that they understand their children's world). The push-pull of adolescent-parent relationships is nothing new, of course. But in our fast-changing world, complicated by forces as varied as technological advances and terrorist threats, I observe that the role of parents as a stable source of love and guidance is more important than ever.
Healthy Teens, Body and Soul gives you the facts about adolescent health, along with strategies for communicating with your teen. Our goal is to promote adolescent health, family closeness, and support during and beyond the teen years.
Parents can most successfully influence their adolescents' health by becoming their health partners. This means that over the course of adolescence, parents adapt their guidance and level of involvement to reflect and respond to their adolescents' evolving maturity and desire for independence. Throughout the book, you will find health-partnering tips that suggest large and small ways to support your adolescents' health and deliver or reinforce health messages.
How do adolescents grow and change? Chapter 1, "The Stages and Tasks of Adolescent Development," shows how their development can be understood as a series of three stages: early, middle, and late adolescence. At each stage, they grapple with the three tasks of adolescence: to gain independence, to clarify sexual identity, and to explore their self-image and their role in society. This chapter presents some fundamental ways that you can strengthen your relationship and communication throughout the adolescent years.
Chapter 2, "A Doctor of Their Own," introduces a key member of your adolescent's support team: a doctor or other health care provider who understands adolescents' needs. We discuss how to select the right doctor for your adolescent's ongoing care and what to expect from a health visit, especially the annual checkup.
Chapter 3, "The Basics: Nutrition, Exercise, and Sleep," addresses a crucial trio of core health practices that can support your adolescent's daily and long-term well-being.
In chapter 4, "Common Health Problems of Boys and Girls," we discuss a wide range of health problems of which all parents of adolescents should be aware. Chapter 5, "Health Issues for Your Daughter," and chapter 6, "Health Issues for Your Son," focus on gender-specific concerns.
Chapter 7, "Coping with Chronic Health Problems," addresses the coping skills needed by adolescents who do not have the luxury of taking their health for granted. Even as they must keep their special health needs in mind, these young people face the same tasks of adolescence as their peers.
Central concerns for all parents of adolescents are addressed in the next three chapters. Chapter 8, "Risks and Realities of Teen Sexuality," explores sexual health and decision making. In chapter 9, "No Teen Is Immune: Substance Use and Abuse," we discuss the dangers of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Chapter 10, "Panic at the Mirror: Teens and Eating Disorders," helps you understand the "disordered eating" that can lead to anorexia, bulimia, obesity, and binge-eating disorder.
Chapter 11, "Your Teen's Mental Health," covers a broad spectrum of concerns ranging from common stresses associated with family life, school, and peers, to mental illnesses and how to get help for your child.
We conclude with chapter 12, "Preventing Accidents and Injuries," on how to help keep your teen safe on the athletic field, at an after-school job, on the road, and elsewhere.
Appendices provide you with books to read, organizations to contact, hot lines to call, and websites to consult. There is also a list of health-related fiction and nonfiction books that your adolescent can enjoy reading, learning from, and sharing with friends. Read these books yourself, too, so you can talk about them with your child and perhaps increase your awareness of adolescent life.
As parents of adolescents ourselves, we know how much fun -- and how challenging -- the experience can be. Children are never predictable. We can never chart a course for their lives and expect that they'll follow our hopeful plans. Every child is unique; what works with one might fail miserably with another. To help a child succeed, we must tune in to the individuality of his or her temperament, abilities, and hurdles. We must empathically teach our children to take responsibility and problem-solve in ways that work for them. Figuring out each child's subtle needs is a vital skill that makes parenting more gratifying.
As our children mature, we continue to support them in making their own plans and shaping their own lives. We take pride in their accomplishments, competence, and growth. We must never forget that the health decisions adolescents make along the way will affect their futures as much as -- perhaps even more than -- the other choices they make.
Copyright © 2003 by Andrea Marks, M.D.; Betty Rothbart, M.S.W.; and Skylight Press