Everyone knows that boys are falling behind in education. Largely left out of the discussion are parents of boys, who are most aware that their bright, eager sons hit an invisible wall somewhere near fourth grade, after which they become disengaged, discouraged, and disaffected. There are dozens of books on underachieving boys, but most parents brave enough to lift one off the shelf are instantly intimidated by the footnotes, graphs, case studies, and academic-speak addressed almost entirely to educators. What about the average guilt-ridden, frustrated mother or father of an underachieving boy?
Jump-Starting Boys is the first book on the market that empowers parents, helping them reclaim the duties and rewards of raising their children and navigate the influences of school and media. Filled with reassurance and support, the authors turn fear and guilt into can-do confidence. Through easy tips and action list sidebars, this is the most practical, readable book on the topic.
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Read and Succeed!
The most important time any parent can make themselves truly available for their child is around school and homework. With Jump-Starting Boys, Pam Withers and Cynthia Gill have provided an essential resource that any parent or concerned caregiver can draw upon to ensure their sons don't encounter a slump during their crucial tween and teen years.
Kids--especially boys--grow tremendously during this crucial time, and their bodies undergo so many different changes so quickly that it's easy to forget their brains are growing and changing at the same breakneck pace. Remember what it was like to be a teenager, addled with hormones and bursting with the desire to change the world, all while having to deal with algebra homework and annoying parents? It's easy to forget how stressful that is!
Many of the patients I work with are teenage boys who can't remain focused in the classroom or don't care about school at all. One of the most common reasons for their problems are addictions to distractions--TV, video games, texting, mindless time-sinks on the Internet--and their parents need help with these 21st century issues. Is it any wonder, then, that many teen and tween boys lag behind their peers?
In my book The Available Parent, I implore parents to recognize the importance of checking in on their kids when they're not in school. Don't smother your kids (and spoil their fun) by being overbearing--just check in a couple times a day to let them know you're interested in what they do during their spare time. I promise you won't regret it, and it could lead you to uncover habits or activities that are holding your children back.
My point--along with Pam and Cynthia's--is that I think all teenagers have some dormant passions that can only be uncovered through the process of acknowledgment and listening. Your teen may be afraid to speak of their interests for various reasons, but if you stay curious, the shadows of their passions will evolve and change shape as they come into focus.
The story of how Pam and Cynthia came to research and write Jump-Starting Boys never fails to amaze me. Pam, an author writing for the young adult crowd, discovered that tween boys (a demographic that has become resistant to reading) preferred her novels because her stories matched their maturation levels so well. This inspired Pam to rise to the challenge of encouraging boys to read and succeed. Pam spoke to her sister, educator Cynthia Gill, about facing down the phenomenon of underachieving boys.
Jump-Starting Boys is their solution. This book is filled with more than 200 methods parents can use to work with their sons to discover their learning styles, ignite their passion for reading, and ultimately succeed in school and in life.
I've worked with hundreds of teen and tween boys over my career as a clinical psychologist, and I can absolutely confirm that helping your child cultivate a love for reading and lifelong learning is one of the best things you can do for them as a parent. Following the advice that Pam and Cynthia provide in Jump-Starting Boys will give you the tools you need to help your child grow into a competent, confident person.
If you have a son who is having problems at home and at school, don't panic. Pam Withers and Cynthia Gill have bottled so much wonderful reassurance, advice, and practical wisdom into this informative gem of a book that really will help you turn your struggling child's life around. I will keep a copy of Jump-Starting Boys on my shelf, and I highly recommend it to every mom and dad who is raising a son.
--Dr. John Duffy, author of The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens
Pam Withers is a former business journalist and the bestselling, award-nominated author of more than a dozen adventure novels particularly popular with teen boys. They include Peak Survival, Skater Stuntboys, and Vertical Limits. She is also co-author with John Izzo of the highly acclaimed Values Shift: The New Work Ethic and What It Means for Business (Prentice Hall Canada 2000). Her magazine writing credits include McCalls, Working Woman, Profit, and numerous inflight magazines
Withers travels North America extensively, speaking at schools, librarians' and writers' conferences. She's a dual U.S./Canadian citizen. The second of six siblings, she spent her growing-up years trying to measure up to her smarter, better-looking older sister, Cynthia. (She has just about outgrown that.) Withers and her husband, a university professor, live in Vancouver, Canada, where they recently completed raising a high-energy son who spent his adolescence as the official teen editor of her teen adventure novels. Her website is PamWithers.com.
During her thirty-year career as a high school teacher, Cynthia Gill, M.A., L.M.F.T. worked on innovative curricula development and served as an academic dean, while winning acclaim for her work in the classroom. She completed her master's degree in Adlerian psychotherapy and counseling in 2006, and has since worked with adolescents, children and families as a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Gill has taught as an adjunct faculty member at Globe University and enjoys public speaking, particularly on parent education. She has led numerous groups of students on educational and service trips to Russia, Germany and Latin America. A former homeschooling mom, she also served as a consultant to homeschooling families with an accrediting organization. She and her husband live in Minneapolis and like to travel in between visits from their three grown sons, two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren.
John Duffy is a clinical psychologist and certified life coach with a thriving private practice in the Chicago area. He is also a national parenting and relationships expert on The Steve Harvey Show. Duffy consults with individuals, groups and corporations in a number of areas, including Emotional Intelligence, stress management, balancing work and family, conflict resolution, goal-setting and the power of thoughts in bringing about change. Dr. Duffy's highly satisfied clients include Sears, Allstate, General Electric, Household Financial, Exxon Mobil, Accenture, Bank of America and Hewitt Associates. The Duffy family lives in Chicago, Illinois.
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