Grandparenting Teens: Leaving a Legacy of Hope

by Mark Gregston, Bill and Gloria Gaither (Foreword by)

Overview

Three million kids have grandparents parenting them. Are you one of those grandparents? Are you in need of some help? Are you in a crisis with your teen that you're not sure anyone has an answer for?

There are natural communication barriers between grandparents and their teenage grandkids:

• new and old cultures collide and the relationship sometimes flies out the window
• hurtful words stab at a grandparent trying to help
• memories are missed and arguments explode in a family

Both grandparents and grandkids face these triggers, but from opposite sides. And sometimes they result in teens getting into drugs, kids smoldering in unexpressed anger that deepens into depression, and kids even harming themselves. The teenagers want attention and relationships; grandparents want to help.

Help is available from author and well-known family expert Mark Gregston who has worked in teenage and family ministries such as Young Life and his own program, Heartlight, for over forty years. For Gregston, it’s all about relationships. Teens need to find out why they think no one understands them. And they need help to guide them through this contradictory world. Grandparenting Teens is a valuable resource that helps grandparents love their teens and relate to them in genuine, honest, life-changing ways.

This book gives practical tips on how to start grandparenting teens in a way that fosters connection. Mark teaches skills such as getting everyone to listen—really listen. As a grandparent, you can help your teen learn to paint their honest, big-picture perspective, so no one’s left out of their world. They will learn gratefulness instead of giving grief. They will recognize when their grandparent understands their troubles and becomes their role model for life when everyone else turns away. And both grandparents and teens will find their point of contact—their bond. Gregston’s stories will entertain you. They will teach you. They will move you. Some will even change your life.

This book is a must for every grandparent who wants to continue to have an influence on the life of their teen grandchildren. In this ever-important role, grandparents can offer something to their grandkids that they can receive from no one else.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781637630198
Publisher:	Forefront Books
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	499,135
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Mark Gregston began working with teens over forty years ago as a youth minister and Young Life director. He and his wife Jan founded Heartlight, a residential counseling center for struggling teens and families in crisis. He has authored nearly two dozen books, has written hundreds of articles, and is host of the nationally acclaimed Parenting Today’s Teens podcast and radio broadcast, heard on over 1,800 radio outlets throughout North America.

Mark and Jan are the proud grandparents of four: Maile, Macie, Chase, and Carter.

The collaborations of Bill and Gloria have resulted in more than 700 popular gospel songs, including the hymnal standards “Because He Lives” and “He Touched Me.” They have collectively garnered eight GRAMMY® Awards and more than a dozen nominations; and they have received over 40 Gospel Music Association (GMA) DOVE Awards, earning the title “Songwriter of the Year” eight times. The couple are members of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame as well as the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Table of Contents

Foreword 12

Part I They Love You When You're There

Chapter 1 Even When You're Older Than Dirt 16

Chapter 2 Why Gray Hair Is an Advantage 26

Chapter 3 You Can Change Gears When They Think You're Out of Gas 34

Chapter 4 Maintaining a Relationship in a Not-So-Relational-Culture 46

Chapter 5 The Chance to Be a Superhero (When Their Lives Suck) 54

Chapter 6 You Don't Give Up When They Hurt Your Heart 60

Part II They Will Listen When You Talk

Chapter 7 Giving Your Grandkids an Ear 70

Chapter 8 Won't Somebody Just Listen! 84

Chapter 9 Nagging and Lecturing Work Like Fingers in a Dike 94

Chapter 10 Everyone's Argument Doesn't Need Arguing 102

Chapter 11 Quit Correcting and Start Connecting 110

Part III You Know They're Watching You and That Ain't All Bad

Chapter 12 Complaining Ruins Relationships, Gratefulness Draws Them In 118

Chapter 13 Can Everyone Just Laugh a Little 126

Chapter 14 You're Kidding Me-You Want Me to Do What? 134

Chapter 15 They're Watching Out of the Corners of Their Eyes 144

Chapter 16 When Health Gets in the Way 150

Part IV Grandparents: Don't Save What Is the Best for Last

Chapter 17 Don't Save the Best for Last 160

Chapter 18 Giving the Big-Picture Perspective to Their Teenager World 166

Chapter 19 What Is Your Agenda? 174

Chapter 20 A Place of Retreat Can Be a Haven 186

Part V A Legacy They'll Never Forget

Chapter 21 Supporting Your Kids…and Then Their Kids…in Word and Deed 198

Chapter 22 Making Memories Before You Lose Yours 210

Chapter 23 When Life Gives You a Mulligan and the Chance to Make It Right 220

Chapter 24 A Legacy of Relationships 230

Acknowledgments 238

Endnotes 240

Editorial Reviews

Mark does such an amazing job explaining and encouraging grandparents to take a more active role in the lives of our grandchildren. I truly believe that grandparents can make a profound difference in the lives of their grandchildren simply by being present and listening well.

Amy Grant

I have known Mark for years and I know that his heart and soul is all about helping families. Grandparenting Teens is a book full of life-changing stories that will inspire you to take an active approach in the lives of your grandchildren. Through these stories, Mark not only entertains readers but equips them with practical tips on how to be an involved grandparent.

Paul Overstreet

As a grandparent of fifteen grandchildren ages two to twenty-two, I could not have imagined how rewarding and fulfilling it is to get to participate in the spiritual, social, and emotional growth of our ever growing “small village.” Man, I love this game! But I need all the help I can get for this major call of duty. If there is anyone who knows more about pouring into kids of all ages than Mark Gregston, I’ve yet to meet him. Mark’s latest book on grandparenting will undoubtedly make your adventure more filled with savvy and effectiveness while bringing an increase of wisdom to your fruit harvest on your beloved family tree.

Joe White

I’ve known Mark for over forty-six years! He has always had an ability to communicate truth in a winsome and honest way. Here, Mark has struck a chord once again! Let this honest and biblical truth and instruction flow into your heart!

Steve Largent

The best gift we can give our grandchildren is a meaningful relationship. Grandparenting Teens will make you laugh and encourage and equip you to love your grandchildren God’s way, giving you the confidence you need to be present and active in their lives.

Kirk Cameron

Mark has written many wonderful books through the years, but none are as timely or important as this one. We all have a yearning, a wound inside us, to leave a mark on the world when our time on earth is through. Mark shows us how to leave it where it matters most—in the foundation of the family tree. Like bright sun and a gentle rain on the soil of our lives, Mark’s words and insight gives us what we need to grow deeper and stronger roots in our own often-withering branches. This isn’t just a book for grandparents with teenage grandchildren. It’s filled with humble wisdom on how to finish well, no matter the race you’ve been running. Mark has been a treasure to my family and countless others, and God-willing, if I get the chance to be a grandparent, his example will be my guiding light.

Rory Feek

The skills Mark teaches in this book are skills every grandparent should learn. From listening strategies to learning gratefulness, Mark’s focus remains on strengthening the bonds between grandparents and their grandchildren is simple, yet life-changing ways.

Alan Carter

This guy knows what he’s talking about.

Chuck Swindoll