1. Look at the title of the text. Who do you think this text is for?

Sarah used to wake up on Sunday morning when you wanted to stay in the bed. Now you are lucky if she gets up before midday. She used to be very quiet. Now she talks all the time - but not to you. She speaks a strange kind of language that you don't understand anyway. She used to hold your hand when you walked down the street. Now she even wants to see in public in case she meets one of her friends. You've gone from heroes of the universe to the Most Embarrassing Adults in the world. It's happened- that time that all parents fear. Your child has become a teenager.

Not all teenagers are the same, of course. Your Sarah spend hours o the phone. And when she isn't on the phone she is in the bathroom.

Meanwhile, David next door has become a sullen, scruffy Neanderthal, who looks as if he's slept in his clothes for the last week. He used to say “hello” to you and he was always very polite. Now the conversation with David goes something like this:

“Hello David. How are you today?”

“Urgh.”

“Are you going out?”

“Urgh”

What makes adolescence so difficult? There are big physical changes of course, but it's the emotional changes that are the most difficult. When they are young, children live in a save and a simple land called “childhood”. As parents, we organize their lives. We choose their clothes, take them to places, and spend time with them. We're there when things go wrong or when life gets scary. As they get older, however, they learn about another land - an exciting land, called “adulthood”. Sooner or later, their hormones will push the child out into the open sea- away from the safe land of childhood towards that other land. Adolescence, then, is the journey from childhood to adulthood. Some find the journey quite easy. For others, it's very difficult. For all teenagers, however, there are some common experiences:

1. The rebellious teenager

Teenagers star to ask questions: “Why do I have to get up now?” “Why can't I go out?” “Why should I do my homework?” “Why do I have to do what you say?” This is often the part that parents find more difficult.

2. Who am I?

Teenagers become very self-conscious. They are easily embarrassed by their parents. For the first time they ask questions about themselves. “Who am I?” “Am I ugly?”

3. Friends

Relationships are very important for teenagers. As children, they spend most of their time with their family. Now, it's their friends who are important. Parents become like a bank. You go there when you need something, but you don't want to spend much time there.

All these things are part of growing up. Our job as parents is to help our teenagers on their journey from childhood to the adult world. That's what this book is about.

2. Were you right about the first question?

3. Answer these questions:

1. What is the text about?

2. Where is it from?

3. Who are Sara and David?

4. What is the journey?

4. Find all things mentioned in the text that these groups of people do:

1. Children

2. teenagers

3. parents

5. Introduction to Used to

1. Complete these two sentences from the text:

• Sarah __________ ________on Sunday morning.

• He ______________________

“hello” to you.

2. Do Sarah and David still do these things?

3. Find more examples of things that you used to do when you were young, but don't do now.

The Teenage Years:

a Survival guide

Introduction

Point to remeber!

If the teenagers are a problem for you, they're even more difficult for the teenagers themselves.

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