Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens, Second Edition (Resources for Changing Lives) Paperback – June 1, 2001

I am still in the process of reading this book, but I had to share how it has already helped me as a mom of two teens. Through this book, I have found a new way of relating to my girls and the results have been wonderful. The author has a gift of relating to and understanding teens. He does a wonderful job of sharing this gift with parents through his writing. I have read MANY books on parenting and am so tired of the books that make you feel like you have ruined your children forever if you haven't already followed their special formula for raising the perfect Christian child. I have read books that have beaten me down as a parent. It is so refreshing to read a book that is such an encouragement to parents raising teens. Paul David Tripp speaks of teens in a positive light and shares his own experiences with his teens. He shares his mistakes as well as victories. He has a way of reminding parents what it was like to be a teen & he gives parents a new understanding of this important time in a child's life. What I found most helpful in my own situation was how the author has parents examine their own hearts and states that if our hearts are controlled by something other than God, we will not view the parenting opportunities of the teen years as opportunities. We will view them as irritating hassles. He goes on to explain some typical parental idols & how they shape our responses to our teens. This was a very enlightening chapter and really made me examine my own heart. It truly explained why I was having a difficult time relating to my teens. This book not only helped me feel encouraged, it also gave me practical ideas in raising teens. It has blessed me already and I am only a little over half way through it. :) I highly recommend it to all parents. I am going to purchase more copies to give to friends as their children hit the "pre-teen" years.

My husband and I led this study with a group at church. 25 of us went through it together over 3 months. At times, it's very challenging - this isn't one that waves a wand, or makes easy promises. This is about recognizing several biblical truths and then working on them.I was drawn to this because I was just sad at hearing people say "Buckle the seatbelt, you'll get the kids back when they are 19." Well, by then they'd be in college, then married... so that's it then? Kiss goodbye to the previously great relationship just because they hit teen years? I was looking for a better answer.This gave a lot of hope, and a lot of answers. As I said, they are not easy answers and take work. Are you willing?The premise behind it is that God is the God of every little thing, and it's the little things in life that provide the most and best teaching moments - and they are everywhere!Second, kids have a way of pushing buttons and revealing to us things we don't like about ourselves (anger, pride etc). Often we'll blame the kids, but God gives us that opportunity to work on ourselves as well as help our teens.It's filled with great biblical guidance for our families, the community within our families and our teens directly. It's a long term solution, one that will carry through guiding your kids to the day they leave home and beyond.

Amazing book for anyone guiding teenagers. This will train a parent to seize those unpleasant moments and go from sending quarreling siblings to opposite ends of the house, to getting to the root of their strife. Mr. Tripp likens our families to God's training ground for placing a Biblical world view into our children. So that everything they are interpreting can be viewed through and held up to the grid of God's Word. This book is not for the faint of heart. This is a "roll up your sleeves and get dirty" book. It's a "take a good look at your own heart/example first" book. I've been convicted so many times throughout the book. God didn't give us children so that we could raise them, but so that He could finish raising us! It is a book that gave me so much confidence and direction and allowed me top go from frustration to a plan that's was calmly executed. It is filled with scripture! I've started giving them out to people who have teenagers. Thank you, Mr. Tripp!

Tripp pulls no punches about the baggage we bring to the table as parents. It helps that he is honest about his own mistakes, about losing patience or lashing out when tension gets high at home. The advice and approach are biblical, and ideas are organized under headings and lists that help with review and implementation.This book helps me remember the vulnerability of being a teen. It encourages us as parents to love deeply, humbly and help direct our kids' hearts, not just protect or correct their behavior by managing circumstances. It has been wonderful to see my experience with my teens as a season of opportunity, not a dark age that must be endured by any of us. I am a single mom of two teen boys. I am also applying Tripp's suggestions to my time with other teens, in our youth group and with the kids who hang out with my boys.I see a difference in the mood around here, and I believe this book has contributed to it.

I used to own a copy of this book but lost it when I lent it out so I got another one. It is a must-read for anyone-not just parents - because it inspires one to see life's problems as an opportunity planned by God for a good purpose. It is one of few Christian based books that keeps me attentive and meditating on the practical truths that are found on every page.My second copy arrived quickly and in excellent condition!