Product Description
Over 513,000 teens gave birth in 1995. The Christian community is not immune to the problem of teenage pregnancy. Each year, thousands of church leaders and church-going families suddenly find themselves with a pregnant teen daughter. But you never thought it would happen in your own Christian family. Wondering what steps to take first? Where to find emotional support? Nervous about the response of family, friends, or the church? Overwhelmed by the option… More >>
How To Survive Your Teen’s Pregnancy: Practical Advice for a Christian Family
Tags: Advice, Christian, church leaders, emotional support, Family, family friends, Practical, Pregnancy, Survive, teen daughter, Teen's, teenage pregnancy
#1 by Canoe Fam on February 17, 2010 - 4:42 pm
If you ever find yourself to be the parent of a teen mom or hear of someone in that position, rush out and buy this book. The sooner that a parent reads this book, the better, since it contains information that is not only important for decision making but encouraging at a time when discouragement abounds. In our opinion, every church, every crisis pregnancy center, and every youth group should have this in their library.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Christina Lockstein on February 17, 2010 - 5:42 pm
No! Neither of my teens are going to have a baby! Just to get that immediately out of the way.
The publishers of How to Survive Your Teen’s Pregnancy by Linda Ellen Perry sent me a copy and asked me to review it, because while I haven’t been a parent whose had to face this, I was a teen mom myself. I’ll never forget the way I had to tell my parents that I was pregnant; I had hoped to procrastinate as long as possible. But Mom had made an appointment for me to get my MMR booster shot the next day, and I was afraid that there may be birth defects if I went ahead with the shot, so I had to drop the bomb on them two weeks before school started. I wish now that they had a book like this to turn to for advice, and that we had a better support system through our church and community. While Dad tried to remain calm and talk sensibly, Mom was broken and couldn’t bear to discuss the details.
If I could go back and change things, I wouldn’t change the big stuff (getting married, keeping my baby), because if I did, I wouldn’t have the two beautiful older kids I have, but I would change the way that my parents and I interacted in the two weeks before I was quickly married and moved out. Perry has years of experience counseling teens and their parents, and she uses that knowledge to create a workbook for parents that takes them step by step through the first discovery through the birth of the baby with stops along the way for forgiving their daughter, the baby’s father, and the themselves. She encourages with Scripture and uses different Bible stories and some Christian fiction to help bring deeper understanding to the situation. Perry urges parents to really listen to their daughter to help her come up with a viable plan for her and her child. She supports both adoption and parenting with the pros and cons of both laid out neatly. This is a Christian book, so while abortion is mentioned, she encourages every other option and includes statistics about possible outcomes if a teenage girl has or is forced to have an abortion.
The book includes resources for parents with places to find Christian and pro-life doctors, adoption agencies, pregnancy resource centers, and more. While some of the activities for dealing with the emotions were a little artsy for me (I can’t imagine drawing pictures or making a collage to express myself), for others it may be just what’s needed. It took my parents and I several years to repair the damage done by my pregnancy and my attitude toward them during it. While a parent can’t change their child’s reaction to the pregnancy, mothers and fathers can change how they react, hopefully bringing healing and growth. This book is a fantastic resource for helping them to work through the grief, anger, and guilt that follows a teen’s pregnancy.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Cheryl L. Collins on February 17, 2010 - 6:59 pm
If you are having this issue please get the book it will help you see clearly.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by J. K. Gernand on February 17, 2010 - 7:26 pm
Very helpful information from a Christian perspective. Bible scripture verses are given throughout the book on the many helpful topics covered.
I am in the process of starting an outreach ministry for parents whose teenagers find themselves on the brink of parenthood or who are raising their teen, along with a grandchild, and yet still live under their parents roof and authority. I have first hand knowledge of this topic since it happened in my own family. I only wish that I had found this book when I needed the help and guidance it offers.
Parents need a strong support system when this happens to their teen (and them!). They need a place where they can vent their grief and frustrations but also gain encouragement, wisdom, and healing. Boundaries are often times blurred when parents find themselves in the middle of this kind of crisis and thus find themselves (unknowingly) being enablers to their teen. Please consider starting a support group for parents in your area…it is greatly needed today.
This book helps sort out conflicting feelings and is also guide that helps answer questions on the issues they will be facing. I also highly recommend the book “Boundaries” by Dr. Henry Cloud along with this one.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by T. Suzanne Eller on February 17, 2010 - 9:12 pm
Linda Ellen Perry has not only written a book, she’s written from years of experience from guiding teens who found themselves pregnant before they were ready. Perry gives real-life advice to help parents work through all the issues they will face. The book is practical and Biblical, helping you work through things such as forgiveness, adoption possibilities, your teen parenting alone and what she needs from the adults in her life, welcoming a new baby into your home, and tons of resources. This is only a partial list for Perry has addressed every angle of the challenges faced when your daughter says those words, “Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant”.
Rating: 5 / 5