Hi Everyone,
Today I am reviewing Getting Real About Growing Up by Amrita Hobbs. This is a book that I found invaluable as a parent. It gave me some solid, no nonsense resources and advice about the adolescent years and encouraged me to enter this time with the view of my child as a whole person, not defined by behaviours and reactions, but with a much deeper sense of who she is and how she wishes to be.
The language is clear and non-patronising, and deals with issues such as relationships, depression, abuse, homosexuality, social isolation and physical changes. It is written in a calm and factual way which dispels myths and empowers the reader, without imparting any particular moral prerogative.
Hobbs has written a realistic, deeply spiritual book about subjects that are all too often delegated either to the 'too hard' basket or treated as purely physical manifestations of growing up. This is no doubt due in large measure to the fact that she has facilitated many parent child groups over the years. Hobbs gently encourages the reader to question his/her own beliefs and assumptions and shares numerous poems, stories and input from teenagers who have been there before.I found that sharing Getting Real About Growing Up allowed Alexandra and I to discuss social issues in a relaxed and informed way we may not have done otherwise. The topics covered in this book also met a lot of the criteria for Health and Physical Education, making it a useful resource for theory and discussion.
This is definately a book I will be sharing with all of my children as they reach adolescence and recommend it to anyone wanting a relevant, well-informed resource dealing with this often sensitive time.
Talk Soon, Cynthia x
