Editorial Review:

If you have a teen or pre-teen, you recognize the phenomenon already-perhaps without even knowing it has a name. "The second family," as uncompromisingly described by renowned therapist Dr. Ron Taffel is the immense collective power of the peer group and pop culture-a force so pervasive, it threatens to, and often succeeds in, overwhelming the first family of adults at home and in school. Derived from thousands of interviews with kids and adults, The Second Family uses real-life, sometimes graphic examples to bare the truth about the world of adolescence today and to illuminate the new set of rules by which kids operate.
The second family can be scary to adults. While many parents bury their heads, insisting "not my child," Taffel reveals that even "good" children:
- Chronically lie without a trace of guilt
- Have sex at astonishingly early ages
- Do drugs and alcohol not to be bad but simply because they are there
Yet there are healthy aspects to the second family that often go unrecognized:
- A secret moral code of peer support that will surprise you
- Boys and girls as best friends
- Boys taking care of friends in emotional need
- Girls becoming powerful group leaders
- A social structure for teens that provides a type of intimacy, support, communication and honesty he or she can't find anywhere else.
It is impossible to understand today's teens or preteens without understanding the Second Family. Taffel opens a window into a closed world of frightening dangers and equally uplifting possibilities.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

Important and timely book for parents of teens:

I am a psychologist that works with teens and their families. This is an important book for therapists and families alike. Dr. Taffel explains the "second family" world of the teen. Both the negative as well as the positive aspects of this world. Dr.Taffel gives practical suggestions on how to work with the second family in order to maintain some healthy connection between the teen and the "first family".

Author of Survival Meditations for Parents of Teens:

Another sure winner from Dr. Taffel who always seems to hit the mark.I recommend this to many of the families with teens who I seen in counseling as it offers a real-life look into their world. Absolutely one of the best in his field.

Excellent resource for individuals working with adolescents:

Dr. Taffel and Melinda Blau offer realistic scenarios and situations today's teens are encountering. Counselors, parents, educators, and any others associating with youth will be enlightened (and perhaps concerned) by what the authors so candidly offer. It can be a tough world for our young people -- here are some ideas as to how to reach your teen and perhaps make a start at understanding their world. This book is a must-read for people who work with pre-teens and adolescents.

Peers for Positive Encouragement and Parents for Direction:

Before reviewing this book, you should know that it includes extremely foul language, very explicit descriptions of sex acts, and other material that exceed what you would find in an R rated movie. Dr. Taffel acknowledges this, but feels like it is important to conveying his message. I agree.

Many aspects of this book could be describing when I was a teenager back in the 1960s. Dr. Taffel has a good ear for understanding how teens interact with one another.

Part of the growing up process is to begin... more info

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