A few years ago, Jennie Hernandez-Hanks found herself as a single Hispanic mother of seven children, three of them teenagers, two of them preschoolers, receiving no financial support, on welfare and with no higher education or job skills. Her children had been out of school for two years when she decided to move to another state and go back to school herself in order to learn a trade that would allow her to support her family and get her life back together.
Stretched to the limit emotionally, physically and financially, Hanks saw her older children heading down roads that would make all their lives worse. Desperate to keep them from slipping away from her, as happens with so many disadvantaged, at-risk youths, she developed a process to turn their lives around. Today, her children are thriving. Her older children have been named National Merit Scholars and are being recruited by Ivy League schools. Her oldest son received a full scholarship to Princeton University. Her home is more peaceful and her children are learning to be responsible members of the family. Most important, they believe in themselves and they are happy.
In this concise, illustrated book, parents will learn Hanks's secret-a new way of parenting teens-that can change the momentum in the household from one of secrecy, rebellion and confrontation to open communication, understanding and mutual respect. The book shows how to employ an exchange-based approach to improve the parent/teen relationship. Using example dialogues and parent/teen success stories, the book teaches how to initiate exchanges, establish guidelines for communicating, monitor communication and make changes as necessary.
A Little Secret for Dealing with Teens is a must-read for any parent, teacher, counselor or others involved with children.

Author: Jennie Hernandez Hanks
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 2000
Format: Booklet, paperback, 103 pages