Union Democrat

Well-being of children and teens the subject of many books

These books are quite timely given the present-day discussions about suicides and general mental health of children and teenagers today.

“Who’s Raising the Kids: Big Tech, Big Business and the Lives of Children,” Susan Linn — This is a long overdue book on raising children in a commercial society. The author calls on schools, governments and parents to push back against the relentless marketing to children. Linn calls it the corporate takeover of childhood. All of this was happening before COVID. Digital technologies have become deeply embedded in children’s lives. This book is highly readable and notes that the elites of Silicon Valley would not think of exposing their children to the technologies that they are working on.

Note: The late Fred Rogers was one of the earliest public figures to fight against thecommercialization of children’s television.

“The Emotional Lives of Teenagers,” Lisa Danour — .This is another urgently needed guide to help parents understand their teenagers’ emotional highs and lows and how to support their sons and daughters through this critical time of development. Teenagers’ powerful emotions are the rule, not the exception. However, many parents today see their children’s negative feelings as disruptive, dangerous and diagnosable. To make matters worse, the global pandemic, academic pressure to achieve, social media stress and a bleak environmental future have left today’s teenagers feeling overwhelmed. The author feels that a teenager’s mental health is not just about feeling good, but rather about having the appropriate feelings at the appropriate time.

“What Children Learn from Their Parents’ Marriage,” Judith P. Siegel, PH.D., CSW — This book explores family dynamics between children and their parents and the child’s

relationship between the child and each of his parents. The child’s observation of his parents can become the blueprint for the intimate relationships he will have as an adult. The author identifies the key elements in a marriage that provide information to a child. The degree to which the marriage is a priority, the level of mutual support, the respect between husband and wife and how conflicts are resolved and how affection is communicated. We often fail to realize that our own marriage was influenced by those around us as we were growing up.

“The Lost Boy,” Dave Pelzer — This is the author’s own story of how he escaped an abusive mother and a weak, compliant father. After unbelievable hardship and abuse he escapes his home environment, but in doing so he realizes that he has no place to call home. He becomes a foster child, moving in and out of five different homes. His presence was resented because foster children are not part of a real family. This is a devastating look at a little boy who is just searching for a real home. Many people ridicule the foster care system and the social services system, but the author says he is living proof for the need for their existence. At the end of the book, the author lists a number of agencies and child abuse preventative services in this very touching true story.

A story and craft hour for children is held at 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday at libraries in Sonora, Groveland, Tuolumne and Twain Harte.

— Submitted by Friends of the Library

YOUR WEEK OUT

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2023-05-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-05-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://uniondemocrat.pressreader.com/article/281663964389710

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