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Promise You Won't Freak Out: A Teenager Tells Her Mom the Truth About Boys, Booze, Body Piercing and Other..
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.874
EAN: 9780425195918
ISBN: 0425195910
Label: Berkley Trade
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: May 04, 2004
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Release Date: May 04, 2004
Studio: Berkley Trade
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Editorial Review:
When teens misbehave, sometimes they break the law, but every time, they break your heart. Among other horrors, Doris Fuller has lived to tell the story of her daughter Natalie crossing state lines to attend a keg party at the house of an older boy she hardly knew--after lying by saying she'd be at a sleepover. Fortunately, this was during Natalie's self-described "wild" phase, which petered out after a couple of unpleasant binge-drinking episodes during her sophomore year of high school. For any parent wishing their teen's hedonistic phase would fade away--or parents in such denial that they don't think their kid is capable of being wild--Promise Me will provide much guidance for navigating the emotional quagmire of adolescence.
Doris and Natalie provide mother-and-daughter perspectives on school, friends, dating, drug use, and sex, revealing an inherited self-deprecating sense of humor as well as a remarkable relationship that eventually came to be centered on mutual trust. Unlike some parents she knows, Doris doesn't depend on spy-ware, snooping, or diary reading to find out what Natalie's up to. Instead, she taps her journalism background to ask oblique questions that tend to get Natalie talking, not rolling her eyes or running to her room. Doris's list of useful questions for each topic may be too effective; she admits it was nearly impossible to act nonchalant when Natalie confessed that a 14-year-old friend had been experimenting with oral sex. (She also provides a helpful glossary of slang sexual expressions).
When Natalie does push the limits, Doris (generally) implements appropriate consequences for her to face. In the case of the out-of-state kegger, that meant no more car privileges for two months. (It's likely there's a copy of Parenting with Love and Logic on the bookshelf at their house.) Some of the most comically eye-opening passages in Promise Me feature tales of teens whose parents were extremely strict, only to find that their teen went to great lengths to hide hell-raising behavior from them (as in the case of the nerdy reverend's daughter who gets pregnant). Fuller's found the recipe for building trust and respect from teenagers, and parents would do well to heed her hard-earned advice. -- Erica Jorgensen
In this honest and insightful she said/she said guide, sixteen-year-old Natalie Fuller tells all about her adventures and misadventures from ages thirteen through sixteen. Her brother, Greg, fills in on the later teen years. And Doris, the questioning, caring (and occasionally shell-shocked) mom offers her take on such mildly eye-opening and downright life-threatening topics as... alcohol and other drugs * sex and dating * school * appearances * partying * stealing * obsessions * secrets * lying Promise You Won't Freak Out gives parents a complete picture of how teens really think, feel, and act. And it gives kids a better understanding of why this picture freaks their parents out. For both, it offers some very helpful information-and an inspiring example of successful parent/teen communication.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Life of teenagers
This book is probably very true however it may be more applicable for families living in larger more metropolitan cities. Still, it is worthwhile reading for any parent of a teenager.
Rating: - It's how I want to raise my teens
Finally, a book that reflects the way I want to raise my soon-to-be teens, but I didn't know it! I'd read several books, all of which didn't touch a nerve until this one. It also helped me to realize it's time to connect up with other non-judgmental guerilla moms.
I don't want to put my teens in a bubble, and then be in denial whenever the bubble bursts behind my back. Instead, I want to weather their teens with them, keep an open dialogue to a reasonable degree, and maintain my composure ... Read More
Rating:  - Bak Middle of the School of Arts
"Promise you won't freak" out is book with great characters considering all of them are real. That is right, a teenager is putting her, and her close friends and family's lives on a plate for you to eat up. There is a lot of flavor on the plate that she is handing us including the first two most racy topics you could think about talking to a teen on. Sex and drugs. Well those are just two of the many juicy chapters. The setting changes from time to time but is set in common day, as in 2004. It teaches, ... Read More
Rating: - Time Well Spent
Wish I'd had this book earlier in my parenting. I learned a tremendous amount, but the biggest value was in ideas for conversation starters with my teens. I tried a few suggestions and was amazed at the discussions that followed. I left the book on the kitchen table during a teen party and the kids zeroed in on it immediately, particularly the chapter on sex (no surprise there!) I have made gifts of the book to my younger sisters, telling them it is an easy read, well written, and packed with useful ... Read More
Rating: - Promise You Won't Freak Out is Very Impressive
Extremely well written and interesting. Every teenager and every parent of one should read it, regardless of their own situation (and even if they can't relate to the examples). A good study book for schools and churches. Although the subject matter covers many of the lapses of integrity in today's teens, the book itself reeks of honesty. The authors are courageous in putting their lives out for public view. The excellent conversation starters should help any parent.
From a grandparent ... Read More
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