No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope (A Homeschool Review Crew Post)

 I am the mother of a sixteen-year-old boy. Having once been a teenage girl, I wasn’t really expecting a whole lot with a boy. Frankly, I just remember my brother spending time with his weird friends as a teenager. And eating a whole lot. My husband, however, warned me just a bit of possible struggles as Josiah approached his tween years.

Who knew? Parenting a tween or teen can be crazy!  Hal and Melanie Young know all about it. I’ve been fortunate to get to review a brand new book they’ve written called No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope from Great Waters Press.  

I mentioned in my review of Love, Honor, and Virtue that I have been fans of the Youngs for several years. They are popular homeschool convention speakers and I have enjoyed many of their talks.

So. Parenting tweens. It can be maddening. The Youngs are the parents of 8 kiddos! I think they probably have observed one or two things.

Including a nifty index, the book is about 201 pages long. And it contains so many pertinent topics! It also handles them with transparency and practicality. It is intended for parents of kiddos from 8-14, but I found it really helpful as the mother of a 16-year-old boy. 

These are the topics the book covers.

•  Hormones and Body Changes
• Emotional Upheaval
• Why School Goes Awry
• Spiritual Questioning
• Overcoming Awkwardness
• More than Amusement (media, gaming, and discernment)
• Family Relationships
• Youth in the Bible
• Coming of Age Ceremonies
• Work and Stewardship
• High School and Beyond

I can’t possibly touch on all the chapters in the book, but I thought I would highlight some of my favorite moments.

When talking about Social Awkwardness (which has somehow followed me to my mid-40’s), there is a section called “General Gormlessness.” The authors and their family have spent a lot of time watching British television. As have we. In fact, it was a constant friend in my growing up years.

Anyhoo. Gormlessness basically means lacking basic sense or acting in a nonsensical way. For example, when Josiah chooses to use one of his many accents to order a Big Mac. Or when he decided to wear a bandana sticking out of his back pocket to church. All because he’s decided he wants to emulate an ‘80’s hair band. Does anyone else have the whole “please act like a person” conversation before leaving the house?

The Youngs get this. They’ve experienced this. And I am comforted because of it.

Another section in the book talks about how to handle media and gaming in the home. Yes, please! When I was growing up we had an Atari. Remember Pit Fall or Frogger?  Those were my games. But we didn’t have social media or the interwebs. And my husband…he is a decade older than I am!

Needless to say, we have needed some guidance. What are things we need to be aware of? We want Josiah to be able to use technology, but how can we strike a balance? And how can we make it safe for him?  These are all tackled in the book.

The final chapter I want to address briefly concerns being Producers, Not Consumers. I LOVE this chapter. I was raised in an industrious home. I think work is good. And I want Josiah to be industrious and able to care for his needs and wants. I want him to be a good steward and a good provider when the time comes. I was so happy to see this chapter. It inspired me to assign Josiah a night he fixes supper every week for the family.

This book is really great about using Biblical models and Scripture to guide each topic. It is great for parents of tweens and teens. And it great for those of you who work with tweens and teens.

Check it out! It’s a keeper!

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