My parents had 5 teenagers/ preteens at home at the same time. My father decided that this was going to be a fun time in life for himself, so he bought himself some cool clothes, trendy rock music, and went to work getting to know teenagers. In fact, he not only worked full time as an attorney and father attending 97% of our sports games/dance recitals, but he also found 20 extra hours a week to run the youth program at our church for my brothers, sisters, friends, and I. When asked why he did it my father would say, “look, I just refuse to believe that teenagers are these evil, immature beings that most of their parents claim the are.”
Now a youth worker myself, last fall I went to the National Youth Workers Convention in Atlanta, GA. There I head Dr. Robert Epstein speak on his book, Teen 2.0. Fascinated by the research he presented, I immediately went online and purchased Teen 2.0. Low and behold, Dr. Epstein wrote a 300 page persuasive argument supporting my dad’s thesis. Teenagers are not all inherently irresponsible children who need to be shielded from adult challenges.
Teens in America today have less freedom than prisoners and members of the armed forces. Teen 2.0 calls for a paradigm shift in the way we think about teenagers. He argues that the turbulence we see in modern adolescence doesn’t even exist in every cultural around the world. Teenagers want and need meaningful responsibility, as well as positive adult interactions and mentors. The book explains the tension teens live in today, and why teens act the way they do. He argues for recognition of competence in teens in several key areas like love, creativity, and art. The book also includes the young person’s bill of rights, and practical tips to finding the adult in your teen.
Teen 2.0 is a must read for youth workers, parents, and anyone who wants to learn about youth today.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Teen+2.0&x=0&y=0
