The Agony and the Agony

October 6, 2008
Londergan (I'm Too Sexy for My Volvo
) turns her pen to parenting adolescents in this comical treatise on the teen years. Using the Kübler-Ross model of five stages of grief, Londergan divides the angst-ridden adolescent years into five tongue-in-cheek stages of parental denial, anger, depression, bargaining and acceptance. The author notes that puberty and menopause often occur simultaneously in families, providing a “perfect storm” of roiling emotions. With anecdotes and tips from other parents and teens, as well as her own experiences as the parent of four children, she tackles such issues as drugs and alcohol, sex, and teen privacy, coaching parents on how to talk to teens without seeming “dumb and weak.” Londergan notes that while male teens often disappear into their rooms (they are “subtle and defiant”), girls can be “hysterical and in your face.” Urging parents to give up the ideal of the perfect kid, Londergan delivers her “unvarnished truth” about teens with style and humor (e.g., “There is no EZ pass on the turnpike of teen parenting”). Though Londergan is anything but cheerful, readers seeking savvy practical advice as well as sympathy for their plight during the teen years won't be disappointed.