But I'm Almost 13!: An Action Plan for Raising a Responsible Adolescent

This is the most inciteful, knowledgeable book on the raising of adolescents that I have read. My colleagues who are Family Physicians, Pediatricians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and Nurses all share in my opinion of this book. I recently attended a meeting where I had the pleasure of hearing the author Ken Ginsburg speak. Incredible book about a most dynamic part of society

I write as a mother of four children which includes a twelve year old and two thirteen year olds, as a pediatric nurse and educator. Dr. Ginsburg book is a breath of fresh air! I have a library of adolescent parenting books searching for the tools to ease the road to raising responsible teenagers. "But I'm almost 13" is the solution- it provides a concise, logically formatted plan that allows for easy reference and utilisation. At last!

As a school counselor and a parent of an "almost 13!" year old, I have read virtually every books written about raising children, but few offer the step by step guidance and support that, "But I'm Almost 13!" offers. This is a book you will read several times, and highlighted and dogeared it should remain at your fingertips as a reference tool before and during the adolescent years. While driving home the point that parenting cannot begin when your child reaches pre-adolescence, Ginsburg helps us to see the importance of the parent-child relationship. He points out that it is only by understanding how children think that we can understand their behaviors and effect positive change. This book gives parents the knowledge and tools necessary to be prepared for their child's adolescence and the confidence to meet this challenging time with joy, optimism and pride.

"But I'm Almost 13!" is a marvelous, logical, and compassionate flow of expertise for parents who are about to dance the dance of adolescence. Theory is delicately woven into a masterplan for parental and pre-adolescent growth. Achieving an understanding of the "vital ingredients" and mastering the techniques of "choreographed discussions", "modeling", and "decision trees", parents will greatly reduce universal worries and agony often experienced during these challenging times. All who read, apply, reread, and reapply, will happily achieve Dr. Ginsburg's "cognitive Ah-Ha" discovering a higher degree of parental self-efficacy while enhancing their preteens and teens ability to successfully churn through the abstract mazes ahead. Having parented two adolescents, and provided parent training for many so desperately searching for guidance, this invaluable resource offers the insights, skills and reassurance we all seek. The trick is to apply it early and often. Enjoy!

I have been a pediatric nurse for over 20 years. Currently, I am a School Nurse in an upper elementary school where I care for 1100 5th and 6th grade students. I am writing a review of Dr. Ginsburg's book in our school newspaper and will encourage every parent to purchase this excellent book. Dr. Ginsburg's book is filled with practical tips to help the preadolescent navigate throughout the potentially perilous teenage years. The book teaches skills that parents can utilize in order to help their preteens gain strategies which will ultimately (hopefully) keep them safe and drug free, yet prepare them for the eventual separation that occurs as children grow into adults. Real life examples from an expert in the field of adolescent medicine suggest specific actions that parents can take in order to help their childen. This is, without a doubt, the most helpful, insightful parenting book that I have read. It is a "must" read for everyone with preteens!!