Give Them Wings

Description for GIVE THEM WINGS: PREPARING FOR THE TIME YOUR TEEN LEAVES HOME by Carol Kuykendall:

READY TO TAKE FLIGHT...

It's exciting and scary when a parent first hands a teenager the car keys. The big event marks the beginning of a transition for the family, a time when teens test their wings and parents learn to let go. Each step that takes a teen closer to independence means a change for the whole family. If you want to know what the process is like, let Carol Kuykendall show you what her family went through.

Two of Kuykendall's children are already launched into the world of college dorms and independence. Another daughter is completing the final years of high school. GIVE THEM WINGS explores the process of saying good-bye to childhood and launching teenagers into young adulthood. Kuykendall passes along lessons learned in the process---lessons that can help parents avoid panic and ease the transition.

From "snioritis" to graduation, from saying good-bye to fist visits home, Kuykendall offers tender wisdom and wry humor for the journey. She describes the pains and the joys, helping you understand what your teen is going through. You'll also learn about the challenges parents face as they say farewell to familiar roles and prepare to embrace a new season in life.

If your a parent who dreads seeing your children leave home, you'll find encouragement in this warm and personal look at family transition. And if your nest is in the process of emptying, you'll discover gentle perspective and practical, proven advice to help your adolescents spread their wings and take flight.

"This is the story of one family's journey through a major transition, the time when teenagers are growing up and leaving home. It's a tricky transition. The rules of parenting grow fuzzy as our adolescents navigate that shaky bridge between childhood and adulthood. They are trying to become people who don't need us anymore. We are trying to become parents who can accept and encourage that independence. In the changing, we have a choice. We can resist and cling to the past. Or we can turn our faces toward the dawn and be part of another new beginning."