The Blessing of A B Minus - by Wendy Mogel (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author and host of the podcast Nurture vs Nurture Dr. Wendy Mogel shows parents how to navigate the challenging teenage years.When a child becomes a teenager, her sense of entitlement and independence grows, the pressure to compete skyrockets, and communication becomes fraught with obstacles. Dr. Wendy Mogel emphasizes empathy, and offers guidance over micromanaging teens' lives and overreacting to missteps. She reveals that emotional outbursts, rudeness, rule-breaking, staying up late, and other worrisome teen behaviors are in fact normal and necessary steps in psychological growth and character development. With her signature wit and warmth, Mogel gives parents the tools to meet these behaviors with thoughtful care, offering reassuring advice on: - why influence is more effective than control - teenage narcissism - living graciously with rudeness - the surprising value of ordinary work - why risk is essential preparation for the post-high school years - when to step in and when to step back The Blessing of a B Minus is an important and inspiring book that fortifies parents through the teenage years.

Review Quotes

"In this remarkably frank, helpful book Wendy Mogel offers practical advice and comforting perspective on all the issues, large and small, that families of all faiths and backgrounds confront as their children move through adolescence. Here is a voice of humor, reason, and compassionate sanity in a culture driven by hyper-competitiveness, hyper-vigilance, and hyper-activity. "The Blessing of a B Minus" inspires and consoles. Most importantly, this very readable book gives us the tools we need to become more conscious, confident parents. This is not Jewish wisdom, it is human wisdom, and I for one am a most grateful recipient."

--Katrina Kenison, author of "The Gift of an Ordinary Day"

"We should all give thanks for "The Blessing of a B Minus". Like Wendy Mogel herself, this book is funny and full of common sense. It will give parents something they need: perspective on the complicated and often maddening business of raising adolescents."

--Michael Thompson, Ph.D., author of "It's a Boy: Your Son's Development from Birth to Eighteen"""

"Wendy Mogel's ability to make old wisdom new is uncanny. She is herself a wise woman. The parents of America - and therefore the children, too - should be grateful for her."

--Leon Wieseltier

"Wendy Mogel's signature humor, humility and wisdom are back in full force in "The Blessing of a B Minus, "which will bring much-needed sanity to parents of teens. Hers is the voice that every parent dreams of finding while wading through the confusion of childrearing today: calm, knowing, empathetic and informed both by professional knowledge and personal experience. Her insights are infused with a widely appealing kind of faith that will strike a universal chord in parents seeking both a moral and practical compass. This is a book that will be re-read over and over again."

--Judith Warner, author of "Perfect Madness" and "We've Got Issues"

"Wise, witty and well-written, this book is a treasury of common sense for anyone dealing with adolescents."

--Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People"

“In this remarkably frank, helpful book Wendy Mogel offers practical advice and comforting perspective on all the issues, large and small, that families of all faiths and backgrounds confront as their children move through adolescence. Here is a voice of humor, reason, and compassionate sanity in a culture driven by hyper-competitiveness, hyper-vigilance, and hyper-activity. "The Blessing of a B Minus" inspires and consoles. Most importantly, this very readable book gives us the tools we need to become more conscious, confident parents. This is not Jewish wisdom, it is human wisdom, and I for one am a most grateful recipient.”

--Katrina Kenison, author of "The Gift of an Ordinary Day"

“Wendy Mogel’s ability to make old wisdom new is uncanny. She is herself a wise woman. The parents of America – and therefore the children, too – should be grateful for her.”

--Leon Wieseltier

“Wendy Mogel's signature humor, humility and wisdom are back in full force in "The Blessing of a B Minus, "which will bring much-needed sanity to parents of teens. Hers is the voice that every parent dreams of finding while wading through the confusion of childrearing today: calm, knowing, empathetic and informed both by professional knowledge and personal experience. Her insights are infused with a widely appealing kind of faith that will strike a universal chord in parents seeking both a moral and practical compass. This is a book that will be re-read over and over again.”

--Judith Warner, author of "Perfect Madness" and "We’ve Got Issues"

“Wise, witty and well-written, this book is a treasury of common sense for anyone dealing with adolescents.”

--Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People"

About the Author

Wendy Mogel, PhD, is a practicing clinical psychologist, international public speaker, and the author of Voice Lessons for Parents, the New York Times bestseller The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, and The Blessing of a B Minus. She is also the host of Nurture vs Nurture, a new podcast from Armchair Expert, and lives in Los Angeles. Please visit her website at WendyMogel.com.