Mothering Teens: Understanding the Adolescent Years

Elizabeth Levin is a professor of psychology at Laurentian University.

This collection of 19 essays written by 22 women explores the politics
of adolescence, and the development of parents as their children
experience adolescence. The authors, who include academics, activists,
professionals, and mothers, provide a good balance of practical and
theoretical information.

Part 1 explores basic issues in adolescence, such as gender and
sexuality, spirituality and health, and the dynamic of constant change.
Part 2 focuses on “teens in the world” and considers such issues as
drugs, racism, and teen culture. Parenting different
adolescents—including activists, lesbian and gay teens, teen mothers,
ill teens, and teens with developmental delays—is covered in Part 3.

Readers (fathers as well as mothers) will come away from this book with
a greater understanding not only of adolescents, but also of themselves.