Tuesday 30 October 2012

Book Review: Hot Buttons by Nicole O'Dell

About the Book: Nicole O'Dell helps address the Hot Buttons in teens' lives before the issues become problems 

From dating to drugs, modesty to purity, morals to popularity, teens face all sorts of tough issues. How teens respond to these hot-button issues can have lasting effects on who they want to be and who they actually become. What if parents can help their teens prepare for these hot buttons-before the issues become a problem?
The uniquely packaged Hot Buttons Series is an accessible, quick-reference resource that parents can use to equip their children to make the right decisions, even in the face of peer pressure and outside influences. More than just another how-to manual, Hot Button Dating Edition offers practical real-life situations that parents can read and discuss with their preteens. Topics include: physical activity, missionary dating, and violence/abuse in dating relationships.
Author, mom, and broadcaster, Nicole O'Dell provides short scenarios followed by three or four responses that a teen might choose in that particular situation. Parents are then encouraged to help their children explore the issue, ask questions, and discuss the options, so when a similar situation comes up in real life, the teens are already prepared to respond.

Hot Buttons Dating Edition offers practical real-life situations that parents can read and discuss with their preteens. Topics include: physical activity, missionary dating, and violence/abuse in dating relationships.
Hot Buttons Internet Edition helps parents prepare their teens for online challenges they may face. Topics discussed include: internet activity, file sharing, social networking, and internet predators.
Hot Buttons Drug Edition braves the scary world of substance abuse, equipping parents with facts, warning signs, and real-world scenarios on: alcohol; Marijuana and other drugs; inhalants; and prescription drugs.
Hot Buttons Sexuality Edition offers the facts about teen sexuality, backed by statistics; specifics for how to talk frankly about sex with your kids, discussion about the growth of homosexuality and bisexuality among teens; and compassionate advice for guiding your teen to reclaim purity.

My Thoughts: When I saw these books available for review, I immediately scooped them up.  I love reading parenting books, and with our oldest daughter well past her 11th birthday, the teen years are coming up quickly so this was well-timed.

Something that often irritates me about parenting books is that they often have a lot of wonderful information but have little practical or specific tips on how to apply all that newfound knowledge.  With these books, that's the focus and my favourite part - the strategic scenarios.  The entire book is no nonsense, straightforward and hard hitting - always something I appreciate.  But the strategic scenarios is where these books shine.  Best teaching happens in conversation or "stories" anyway, these books give you scripts (or even just ideas) on how to proactively begin the conversations you need to have with your children on the tough issues.

I couldn't recommend these books highly enough - if you're a Christian parent with teens or tweens (or a non-Christian parent concerned with the above topics - keep in mind it will be presented from a Christian point of view), you need a copy of this series!  I usually end up donating many of the books I receive for review to our church library - but not these ones.  These are staying in my home library!

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.

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