I had a pleasant surprise this morning, one of my daughters-in-law called to tell me she came across a lady in an unusual place reading Messengers in Denim; they met on the running/bike trail in Brentwood. This lady, like my daughter-in-law, has teen aged kids. “I should have read this a long time ago!” her friend told her.
It’s easy to think “parenting teens” books should be read by parents of teenagers, but the truth of the matter is these books should be read by parents of toddlers. Toddlers become teens in a matter of minutes; teens learn their behavior as toddlers, as we all do!
Remember Robert Fulghum’s book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten? He had it right! I am not saying the years between 5 and 12 don’t count, but behavior is learned very early in life. That’s why when you read Messengers, which is labeled a parenting teens book, you will find most of its lessons apply to family of kids of all ages, but especially young kids.
The reason Messengers is classified as a “parenting teens” book is because the lessons there-in are taught by teenagers whom I met in my practice; of course, they learned the lessons from their parents, teachers, or other people in their lives. But parenting teens really, really begins at birth!
That doesn’t mean that once your kid becomes a teen that he is no longer capable of learning to behave, it just means it will be harder for him to change his behavior, and harder for his parents to change their parenting style.
So whatever age your kids are, take a couple hours out of your busy life and read Messengers in Denim. If you have teens, have them read it too! It might change the way you parent, the way your teens act, and, who knows, it might even help make a positive change in your own live! And don’t be surprise where you might see someone you know reading it!