Lunch Bag Notes
By Ann Marie and Al Parisi
More Lunch Bag Notes
By Anthony and Al Parisi
When Al Parisi was thirty-nine years old, he
was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Surgery and treatment
saved his life but left him unable to work, and he retired on
permanent disability. Parisi, father of two and devout Catholic, in
an effort to combat the depression of the loss of his “former” life,
deemed himself “CEO of the Parisi Household.” His willingness to
invest himself emotionally in his children made him acutely aware of
the everyday struggles they face and he made a vow to help his
children navigate their adolescence as best he could. While packing
lunches, Parisi wrote notes to his daughter on the outside of the
bag. His pearls of wisdom, covering everything from kindness and
morality to simple messages communicating his love for her, were at
first crumpled up, then read, and finally shared with friends in a
cherished lunchtime ritual. His daughter Ann Marie lovingly saved
the bags in a shoebox in her closet and the book Lunch Bag Notes:
Everyday Advice from a Dad to His Daughter was born. He continued
the tradition with his son, and his newest book, More Lunch Bag
Notes: Everyday Advice for a Dad and His Son is due to be published
this fall. In our culture of overindulging, over-scheduling and
tough love punishments, Parisi’s loving, spiritual guidance is a
must-read for parents who want to help their kids through their
difficult teen years and emerge the happy, healthy and moral adults
all parents hope their kids will become. Both books are paperback,
published by Loyola Press and available at bookstores nationwide or
online at
www.loyolapress.org.
Breaking the Code (Two teens reveal the secret
to better parent-child communication)
By Lara Fox and Hilary Frankel
Most parents have, on more than one occasion
(per day!) been perplexed about how to best communicate with their
teenagers. Let’s face it – we speak a different language than our
kids. In spite of the fact that we were teenagers once too, we
remember it well, and we are ever so much cooler than our own
parents could have ever hoped to be, we are hopelessly out of touch.
It’s not our fault! This is the natural order of things. But there
are ways to help our kids, and two teenagers have set out to give us
a roadmap to navigate these tumultuous years with our children.
Loaded with everyday situations, this interesting, easy-to-read, and
relate to - book is informative and helpful for parents who have set
out to decipher the language of their teens. Written by teenagers
for parents, Breaking the Code is full of information given from a
viewpoint we seldom see, but is valuable in its own right. Published
by New American Library and available at bookstores nationwide or
online at
www.penguin.com.
You Can’t Scare Me…I Have a Teenager!
By Thomas W. Stacy PhD and David A. Gold, PhD
Having a teenager in your home is just not ever
easy. It is certainly easier for some than others, but the
challenges all parents of teens face are pretty much the same for
everyone. And it’s no walk in the park. You Can’t Scare Me…I Have a
Teenager is billed as a “Parent’s Basic Survival Guide,” and the
information inside is an invaluable guide for parents everywhere.
Divided into five sections: Navigation, Survival, Hazards, Extreme
Environments and Long Term Survival, this informative guide helps
parents set up strategies for handling their children, helping them
cope and outlines assistance for parents whose kids develop more
serious problems like depression and eating disorders. Informative,
interesting and easy to read, You Can’t Scare Me is a valuable way
for parents to learn to communicate better with their teenage
children. Available from Child and Family Press at bookstores
nationwide.
Sacred Flight of the Teenager; A Parent’s Guide
to Stepping Back and Letting Go
By; Dr. Susan Smith Kucmarski
Do you know when to fight the good fight and
when to step back and allow your teen to find her way? If you don’t,
you are not alone. Most parents are perplexed about the best way to
handle their teenagers in a way that fosters their growth and still
keeps them safe and relatively free of a bunch of life-changing
consequences for their actions. Dr. Susan Smith Kucmarski encourages
parents to cherish this time of life with their kids, and helps them
to understand the transformation that is occurring. Chapters like
Keeping in Touch, Letting Go and Acquiring Skills give parents the
navigational tools to understand their teens and see that the
challenges the face are not insurmountable and can be addressed
lovingly. This unique and empathetic approach will teach parents to
help their children and give insight into when to step in, when to
let go, and how to embrace the opportunity to nurture their kids
throughout adolescence. Published by Book Ends Publishing, The
Sacred Flight of the Teenager is available at bookstores nationwide. |
