July Podcast Recap Week 3: What books have helped me the most in my parenting?

Besides *How We Love Our Kids by Milan and Kay Yerkovich which was the episode last week, I would say, *Understanding Your Young Teen by Mark Oestreicher. Oh this book changed how I parented! It just gave me a lens into my kids' lives and help me have empathy and understanding. Now one of my favorite things when I go and speak to MOPS groups and other parents is to remind them that one of the most important gifts they can give their kids is empathy, putting ourselves in their shoes and understanding. I believe this book is what started me on that path. Cannot wait for you to hear the episode I recorded with Marko back in December 2019.

Are you parenting a teenager? Do you have a child between the ages of 11-14 which we call a young teen?

I am excited for you to hear my conversation with veteran youth worker, Marko about parenting teenagers. His book, *Understanding Your Young Teen, is one of my favorite parenting books and truly helped me understand my boys (ages almost 17 and 13). He goes into detail about the 5 major changes our teens will go through: physical, cognitive, emotional, relational, and spiritual and gives great insight.

If you have a young teen (ages 11-14) or an older teen, I promise you do not want to miss this episode. His words of wisdom are gold!

Book Recommendations:

• *A Parent's Guide to Understanding Teenage Guys by Mark Oestreicher
• *A Parent's Guide to Understanding Teenage Girls by Mark Oestreicher
• *A Parent's Guide to Understanding Teenage Brains by Mark Oestreicher
• *A Parent's Guide to Understanding Social Media by Mark Oestreicher
• *A Parent's Guide to Understanding Sex & Dating by Mark Oestreicher
• *Your Teenager Is Not Crazy by Jerusha Clark

Mark Oestreicher (Marko) is a veteran youth worker and former president of Youth Specialties. The author of dozens of books, including *Youth Ministry 3.0 and *Middle School Ministry. Marko is a sought after speaker, writer, and consultant. Marko leads The Youth Cartel, providing a variety of resources, coaching, and consultation to youth workers, churches, and ministries.

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help support the podcast. Thank you!