The amazing story of creation has one major flaw:
Kids don't come with manuals!

Are you too having trouble understanding your teen?   Don’t worry! You’re not alone...

For the last 22 years I have travelled the world speaking with parents about their troubled relationships with their teenage children and helping them to lead happier, healthier lives...

and you know what?

It doesn't matter where I am in the world, the
concerns and worries of parents are much the
same, irrespective of what country I am in!

My work as a life coach means I work with parents and teens to try and help them build strong family relationships, and to teach them both about emotional intelligence:

• to understand their own emotions and provide practical solutions to their problems
• to help them work out their differences, and
• to show them that there are ways to work harmoniously together
  without either party losing their identity or independence.

After all, isn't that what we all want for our children – independence and the ability to build their own life and their own identity?

It's just that - as parents - we want them to do it safely, without the increasingly harmful influences that fill their world...

but sometimes they just don't see it that way!

Teens want their independence,
they want their own way,
they want to make their own decisions and...

they don't believe you understand their world!

And I can honestly tell you that it's the same the world over... and, if the truth be known - you probably believed the same when you were a teenager!

You know that lecturing and remonstrating didn't work with you; and the nagging, ranting and raving, screaming and shouting just made you more determined than ever to have it your own way.

And so it is with your own children.

The good news is: there is a better way!

And I'm sure you already know about it, but you have probably forgotten...

Hello,

My name is Ronit Baras. I am a Life Coach, a teacher and an author.

I am also a parent - with three children of my own. My children were born in different parts of the world, and despite their varied upbringing, they have grown up with the same doubts, the same misconceptions and the same problems as every other normal, intelligent, inquisitive, hormonal teenager who is growing in confidence by the day, and struggling to understand the world and their place in it.

So I believe I have some idea of what you might be going through.

Your situation is not new,
and you are not alone in your dilemma

If you can believe the writings that have come down to us from history, then the situation has probably been the same for centuries. The Italians have a quaint proverb

Little children – headache.
Big children – heartache!

And it was the famous American author, Mark Twain, who wrote:

When I was a boy, my father was so ignorant
I could hardly stand to have the old man around.
But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at
how much he had learned in just seven years!
(Atlantic Monthly 1874)

Or we can go back even further in history to AD1274 :

The young people of today think of nothing but themselves.
They have no reverence for parents or old age.
They are impatient of all restraint...
As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike
in speech, behaviour and dress.
(Peter the Hermit)

And how about this from the early Greek philosophers in the 4^th Century BC ?

What is happening to our young people?
They disrespect their elders.
They disobey their parents.
They ignore the law.
They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions.
Their morals are decaying.
What is to become of them?
(Plato)

Or this, from the 8 th century BC :

I see no hope for the future of our people
if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today,
for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words...

When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and
respectful of elders, but the present youth are
exceedingly disrespectful and impatient of restraint.
(Hesiod)

So you see, that's almost 3000 years of parental discontent! Your problems are nothing new, but the question remains...

What can we do about it?

Understanding teenagers is like trying to unravel the universe. Every one of them is different and every one reacts in different ways, but the fact remains – they are all facing the same problems!

So,

• Do you want a better relationship with your teen?
• Are you shocked at how troubled and stressed teenagers seem to be nowadays?
• Are you worried about the increasing incidence of teen violence and depression?
• Are you worried about alcohol, accidents, drugs and sexual exposure?
• Are you concerned your teen may be suffering from obesity or anorexia?
• Are you unhappy with the amount of time your teen spends in front of the TV, or on the computer or their mobile phone?
• Do you wish you could play a more active role in supporting your teenager?
• Do you want to help them find strength and confidence?
• Do you just want them to have a happy, healthy, balanced life?

If you answered 'YES' to any one of these questions,

then this may just be
the most important article you read in your life!

Years of experience have taught me that one of the best ways to help young people make the right decisions is to give them the tools and knowledge to do so. We do this by telling them stories – stories of our own lives and experiences; and by reading them stories of others and the situations the characters found themselves in.

This is nothing new. Before writing was invented, story telling was the only way for people to pass on their history, their beliefs, and their wisdom... and you've been telling your children stories ever since they first sat on your knee - and yes, they loved it! People love to listen to stories!

Isn't this where you and your children learned:

• not to trust strangers? (Hansel and Gretel)
• not to accept people on face value? (Little Red Riding Hood)
• to look beyond the outside to see the good in people? (Beauty and the Beast)
• not to eat food that is given to you by strangers (Snow White)

You see what I mean?

By exposing our children to appropriate and desirable behaviour through stories, we are training them in the most entertaining, non-confrontational way.

Knowledge and understanding learned through stories can help young people make more balanced decisions, but more importantly, the decisions they make are their decisions!

They want to be independent and they want to make their own decisions, so we have to provide them with the tools and the knowledge to enable them to do so.

We all make decisions based on our own knowledge and experience. So where do you find those stories to help our children navigate through today's challenges?

• How do you help your children deal with peer pressure? (Boje's Magic Powder)
• How do you teach your children to have the courage to be themselves? (Be Special, Be Yourself)
• How do you teach them to overcome adversity? (Curly Lines with Flowers)
• How do you show them that they need to be responsible for their own health (Boje's Magic Powder)
• That you can't please everyone (Be Special, Be Yourself)
• That circumstances make people see things differently (The Building of Life)
• That there may be no one 'correct' point of view, just people (The Building of Life)
• That there is always help if you look for it (The Guidance Counsellor)
• That grown-ups have problems and need love too (Love Me, Love Me Not).

You're probably not familiar with these stories, but that's because I wrote them myself – in response to the many, many requests that I received from thousands of people whom I have counselled and trained over the last 22 years.

I had to write the stories myself, because I could not find appropriate literature that gave the messages that the parents I was counselling, wanted to hear. The problems their teens were encountering were not the same as those being portrayed on the soaps on TV – and the solutions that were being offered there were certainly not always realistic, and, let's face it, television dramas seldom reflect real life. Certainly some of the messages – and many of the solutions – are not what we want for our children!

"Be Special, Be Yourself – for Teenagers" is a collection of 9 stories that focus on the problems teenagers face today. They are teens in believable situations... and they offer real solutions and realistic strategies for coping with the pressures your children are likely to face as they navigate their path to adulthood.

If you would like to order a hard copy of "Be Special, Be Yourself – for Teenagers" simply click here to be taken direct to your secure checkout.

To order your copy...

Of course, while I was writing these stories, many people told me:

"Don't waste your time. Teens don't buy books."

"Go to the teen section in any bookstore – it's the smallest section there.
Give it up."

Not to be discouraged (but not wishing to ignore what could have been very good advice), I went into every book store in my area and talked to the managers in every one of them and, what do you know, they were right. The teen section in all the book shops was so small – it was devastating!

The adult sections were big, the children's sections were huge – but the teen sections were almost non-existent!

It really seemed like investing in teens was not very popular. But I then realized that the reason the teen book section is small is not because teens do not read (although we could all benefit from reading more); but because they spend much of their time sitting in front of their computers.

Whilst looking at the screen for so many hours a day, they read a lot! It's just that they may not be reading exactly what you want them to read, but just the same – they read a lot!

And that was my answer:

"Why not give them quality material to read on their computer?"

So that is why you can also purchase "Be Special, Be Yourself – for Teenagers" as an ebook, downloadable onto your computer right now. Your teen could be reading these inspirational, entertaining, informative, real-life stories right now, within just minutes of you placing your order.

And what's more, these stories will be on their computer, right before their eyes, in the place where they spend most of their leisure time these days.

"Be Special, Be Yourself – for Teenagers" is 159 pages of responsible, inspiring, motivated and well-balanced teens!

And believe me, this is easy parenting! – Lessons gleaned from all of those parents around the world, whom I have helped over the past 22 years.

Socrates once said:

Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings so that you shall come easily by what others have laboured hard for

Here is your opportunity to cash in.

Order the e-book

As a parent, I know first hand how important and challenging parenting teens can be.

And as an educator and a life coach, I know that what teens are exposed to at this special age has a dramatic affect on:

• who they will become, and
• their relationship with us, their parents.

It is important that we seize the moment.

With our hectic lifestyles, it is essential that we expose them to the right attitudes. And what better way to do it than by sharing the inspirational and motivational stories that come to life in “Be Special, Be Yourself – for Teenagers”?

In just a few minutes, you will know you have given your teen the best possible start. As well as receiving an inspirational gift of love from you, they will also be exposed to the values that will shape their character and build their self-esteem and confidence for the rest of their lives!

What we give our teens NOW will ultimately shape their future.

Order the e-book

If you would like to read about the 9 stories contained in "Be Special, Be Yourself – for Teenagers", just click here.

You can even order the ebook and soft-cover book together for a special deal.

Order the ebook and soft-cover book together

By exposing your children to situations that are similar in nature to what they are going through, you will be giving them the knowledge and understanding to help them make a more balanced decision.

“Be Special, Be Yourself—for Teenagers” is a great way to guide young people, and to allow them to make their own decisions – based on scenarios that are familiar to them.

By purchasing “Be Special, Be Yourself—for Teenagers”, you may just be saving your child's future – maybe even their life.

It is a sad fact that one in three teenage
deaths in Australia is a direct result of suicide.

That's a lot of misunderstanding!

This is such a small price to invest in your child's future. Your teen deserves the opportunity to be informed, to be given the tools, to be ready to cope – so they can be, the very best they can be!

I wish you every success as a parent, and I wish both you and your children a long, rewarding and happy life together, and a fruitful relationship.

Remember to tell them "Be Special – Be Yourself!"

Happiness always!

Ronit Baras, B.Ed
Educator, Life Coach and Author (&Mother of three)

Order the ebook and soft-cover book together