How to Hug a Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of the Tween Years
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How to Hug a Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of the Tween Years Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Julie A. Ross MA (Author), Pam Ward (Narrator), Tantor Audio (Publisher)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 438 ratings
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Yesterday, your child was a sweet, well-adjusted eight-year-old. Today, a moody, disrespectful 12-year-old. What happened? And more important, how do you handle it? How you respond to these whirlwind changes will not only affect your child's behavior now but will determine how he or she turns out later. Julie A. Ross, executive director of Parenting Horizons, shows you exactly what's going on with your child and provides all the tools you need to correctly handle even the prickliest tween porcupine.

  • Find out how other parents survived nightmarish tween behavior - and still raised great kids
  • Break the "nagging cycle", give your kids responsibilities and get results
  • Talk about sex, drugs, and alcohol so your kid will listen
  • Discover the secret that will help your child to disregard peer pressure and make smart choices - for life

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  1. Listening Length
    6 hours and 54 minutes
  2. Author
    Julie A. Ross MA
  3. Narrator
    Pam Ward
  4. Audible release date
    July 20, 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Tantor Audio
  7. ASIN
    B073V7CQRG
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 6 hours and 54 minutes
Author Julie A. Ross MA
Narrator Pam Ward
Audible.com Release Date July 20, 2017
Publisher Tantor Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B073V7CQRG
Best Sellers Rank #157,753 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#76 in Parenting School-Age Children
#181 in Parenting Teenagers (Audible Books & Originals)
#478 in School-Age Children Parenting

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
438 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kathleen
5.0 out of 5 stars As a Father, I thought this book was fantastic.
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2009
Verified Purchase
If you are a parent thinking ahead, or wondering how to handle issues (and when), this book is just what you need. It isn't a "how to" - it is a "here is the perspective you need to make your own decisions".

While every example obviously won't suit your family situation, you will be getting a real dose of reality about the issues your children and their friends (and their friends' families) will be dealing with.

Ms Ross approaches every issue with common sense and clear thinking. In several cases, I couldn't see myself handling the issues the way they were handled in the examples, but seeing how someone handled them is invaluable in thinking about what might be best in your family.

The sections on drugs and sex were especially valuable for two reasons: 1) the advice was clear and sensible, and 2) if you think you can skirt the issues, or avoid tackling them head-on, you won't after you read this book - as Ms Ross guides you through the issues and various ways to handle them, she also makes clear exactly what is at stake for your child and his or her personal safety and happiness.

If you are a concerned parent, you will find this highly intelligent book filled with thoughtful advice and interesting perspective on how other parents in this generation are dealing with this generation's issues.
I've read lots of advice books, and none of them are perfect. But this is the one that left me with the clearest plans for dealing with critical Tween issues. Parenting isn't about reading a book and doing what it tells you - it's about understanding issues, and figuring out how to deal with them in a way that best suits you and your children. Ms Ross' book is a wonderful resource for intelligent,thinking parents.
38 people found this helpful
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Penguina
5.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful philosophy with great specific suggestions.
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2015
Verified Purchase
I really liked this book. The message: you really cannot control your kids in high school...thus, middle school is a good time to focus on guiding vs controlling and making sure your relationship stays strong so they will come to you when they have challenges in high school. How to do that without being a push-over and still having limits is the core of the book. Lots of very specific ideas about how to interact with tweens. And a super helpful caterpiller/crysilis analogy that I found eye-opening. I found the book really helpful, and highly recommend it. I just bought a copy to give to my mom to help grandma think about new ways to interact with her tween grandkid.

My only caveat would be to take the last couple chapters with a giant grain of salt, as they are outdated. It would be ideal if the author updated the book. The chapter on technology references Myspace and Friendster, which gives you some idea of how dated the book is (were they still relevant even in 2008?). And the chapter on sex ed suggests, albeit reluctantly, that it might be OK for parents with religious concerns about homosexuality to tell their gay tweens/teens that it's OK to be gay as long as you live your life without ever acting on those feelings. At best, an anachronistic message.

But...there is so much good advice about interacting with your tween in this book. Just give those sections a pass to gather the gold in the other chapters.
45 people found this helpful
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D
4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, A Book with Realistic Problem/Solution Scenarios
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2015
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Excellent advice for navigating some of the everyday conversations; some things should be taken with a grain of salt or keeping your family's unique dynamic and individual differences in personality in mind. The best part of this book? Practical strategies and how they might be employed in realistic interactions! Some tips from the book: family meetings, conversing with your recalcitrant teen without getting overwhelmed, avoiding letting your child rely on you to save the day every time they s/he has difficulty...after employing some of these, I can say they really have helped.
4 people found this helpful
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april
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024
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This is a great book, easy read and full of relatable stories.
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lizardoll
5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of practical of examples
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2023
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I listened to this book twice and will be reading and highlighting the most helpfull sections.
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Lily Angulo
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book to deal with teenagers.
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2022
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This book is en excellent tool for parents of future teenagers or teenagers. It gives you information on a fun and appealing way. I couldn’t stop reading it. Love it.
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KEC
3.0 out of 5 stars Published in 2008
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2022
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My fault for not looking but this book was published in 2008 so at the time of my writing this it is 14 years old and out of date with today’s rapidly changing online/social media world. It may have had great chapters on things that don’t change such as difficult “tween attitudes” but for $17 I am going to return it and find something more up to date. Good luck parents of tweens!
5 people found this helpful
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GBird76
5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I would have bought earlier!!
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2020
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Excellent book! I wish I had read this a year ago! Greatly helped me communicate with my daughter. The author talks about listening with heart and this is so important. I’ve realized my tween just wants to be heard and validated. This book has helped bring down the drama in our home. Highly recommend for anyone with daughters! Read it when she’s 10 so you are prepared as she goes through puberty.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Ji Seon Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading
Reviewed in Germany on October 17, 2019
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Great help to change my view and actions toward my teenage daughter.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2017
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Great!!!!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great help!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2017
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This book really helped me to understand what my daughter was feeling and to communicate mor effectively with her.
One person found this helpful
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Tammy B.
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2016
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Provides helpful suggestions for parents to navigate dealing with teenagers.
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Sarahfish
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for frustrated parents of porcupines!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2009
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This book is great because you read it and realise that youre not the only one with a 12 year old with attitude!! I found it great to help me review my parenting style and understand where my porcupine was coming from!
3 people found this helpful
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