Raising teens does not have to suck. Here are the secrets to bringing joy, connection, and laughter to the relationship, by the co-author of the nationally bestselling book about modern puberty, This Is So Awkward.

Conventional wisdom is that teenagers are selfish slobs, obsessed with their phones, and driven by raging hormones. But Vanessa Kroll Bennett fervently believes that teens can be the funniest, smartest, most caring human beings…if we give them the chance. With the right tools, parents can empower teenagers to survive and thrive in an ever-changing, complex world, and we can even enjoy parenting them! 

Calm, optimistic, and funny, Bennett assures us that we have not failed our kids (and they are not doomed – even if they have a phone). Teenhood offers hard-won tenets for confidently raising adolescents with an arsenal of information and guidance to help parents go forth unafraid, including:

- If you treat them like jerks, they’ll most definitely act like jerks. 
- The path to independence is an ultramarathon, not a walk in the park.
- They’re not ignoring you--they just don’t always find you interesting!


Leaning into the research and insights about how teens develop, what strengthens them, and what they need from those who love them, Bennett provides sanity-saving stories and strategies to make the trickiest phase of parenting less stressful and far more joyful for all.