According to its reviews, Life Talk for Parents – an essential guide to issues faced by parents and teens is “An invaluable, groundbreaking handbook and a must-read. It can make a significant difference to the lives of parents and adolescents.”

Izabella Little provides key feedback on all the issues raised by parents, teens, educators and counsellors, she examines the reasons, conveys the experts’ views, and explores solutions. She also draws insight from her own experiences which include being the mother of a teenage girl, handling an intensive business career, and coping with some of life’s tough challenges.

Life Talk for Parents also has input from co-author Thomas Burkhalter (psychologist) and a range of experts including: Prof Tim Noakes of UCT; Iyavar Chetty of the SA Film Board and a leading expert on child pornography; Luke Lamprecht former CEO of the Teddy Bear Clinic for abused children; representatives from SANCA and FAMSA; and others.

The contents include : Teen drinking; Sexual activity; Drugs; Peer pressure; Bullying; Parties, Clubs and Curfew times; Pocket money; Divorce; Single parenting; Cell-phone and Internet challenges; Steroids; Learning problems; Depression; Eating disorders; Back-to-school jitters; Career choices; the “Nothing to wear!” and “Everyone else is going” dilemmas; Enforcing boundaries; Enhancing communication; Building self-esteem; Promoting values; and a mix of many other serious and lighter topics.

Why is Life Talk for Parents generating such enthusiasm?

Life Talk for Parents tackles the issues that are currently causing much concern. As is often reported in the media, and by schools and parents, teens face a number of tough issues and challenges, many of which result in heartbreak or tragedy that is quite avoidable and unnecessary.

The pressures of life in the 21 st century, along with the realities of family break-ups, crime, AIDS and other factors, present our youth with situations, temptations and hurdles that many of them struggle to cope with. Teen alcohol abuse is at crisis levels, drug use is climbing, sexual activity starts at ever younger ages, peer pressure is intense, school violence is increasingly reported, and depression and teen suicides are at worrying levels.

Many schools speak of parents “abdicating” their parenting responsibilities, and they express concern about an increase in bullying, less emphasis placed on boundaries and discipline, and many children whose only significant role models are the TV, Internet and peers. And in many instances, values seem to be sidelined by the strongly materialistic focus, the stresses of living and surviving, and the greater resulting challenges that face us all.

Life Talk for Parents provides powerful and thought-provoking material – and it can facilitate a highly successful and solution-driven process to address many of the issues. Written with warmth and caring, in a chatty and easy-to-read style, it provides key tips, guidelines and behaviour-changing suggestions.

According to reviewers, Life Talk for Parents is: “The parenting handbook that every family and parent should have. Its content has the power to change lives – and to make a significant difference to the full spectrum of society”.