Little kids get all the attention on their first day of school, but teens need parental help and guidance, too, as they make the transition from elementary school to the scary world of middle and high schools.

To safely navigate this possibly hazardous journey, teens cry out for coping mechanisms, ways to deal with all the new influences, situations and people that will be waiting for them in the hallways.

“Teenagers need you to help them discuss their worries and come up with solutions and ideas to overcome their fears about being part of a new school situation,” says Kim Flores, mother of 16-year-old Adam, a junior at Parkview High School.

“I encouraged Adam to try different activities, to get involved. This allowed him to learn new skills and gain knowledge, but it also instantly gave him a whole group of like-minded kids to hang around and be friends with.”

Adam first tried football and now he seems to have found his niche in speech and debate, a great activity, she says, that “has built up his confidence and poise and given him public speaking skills that he can use his entire life.”

Flores, who manages the children’s department at the Library Center, recommends a series of “Love and Logic” books by Foster Cline and Jim Fay. One, titled
“Parenting Teens with Love and Logic,” gets it right, says Flores.

“The authors urge parents to respect the feelings of your teens. Don’t negate them by laughing at their concerns, making light of them and not taking them seriously,” Flores advises. “Sarcasm usually doesn’t work, but humor can diffuse the situation.”

Here are other books recommended by Flores. They are all available, some in audio format, from any of the eight branches and bookmobile of the Springfield-Greene County Library District.

Teen Tips: A Practical Survival Guide for Parents with Kids 11-12 by Thomas L. McMahon

Teenagers Learn What They Live: Parenting to Inspire Integrity and Independence by Dorothy Law Nolte and Rachel Harris

Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind by Michael J. Bradley

Bold Parents, Positive Teens: Loving and Guiding Your Child Through the Challenges of Adolescence by Karen Dockrey

Closing the Gap: A Strategy for Bringing Parents and Teens Together by Jay McGraw

Positive Discipline for Teenagers: Empowering Your Teens and Yourself Through Kind and Firm Parenting by Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott

Raising Emotionally Intelligent Teenagers: Parenting with Love, Laughter and Limits by Maurice J. Elias and Steven E. Tobias

Always Accept Me for Who I Am: Instructions from Teens on Raising the Perfect Parent by 147 Who Know compiled by J.S. Salt