In the book "The 4-1-1 on Surviving Teenhood: Essential Tips for Parents: Teenage Temptations; Teachable Moments; and More!" Michele Sfakianos draws from her experience as a mother, grandmother, registered nurse and life skills expert to guide the reader through an exploration of the process of dealing with teenagers. The voluminous book has eighteen chapters with topics as varied as the following: growth and development, nutrition, acne and other skin conditions, sleep disorders, peer groups, computer usage and cyber bullying, shoplifting, self mutilation and injury, dating and dating abuse, cellphones: life saving and life threatening, drug, alcohol and substance abuse, sexual attraction and orientation, talking about sex, birth control methods, pregnancy, runaway teens, suicide, and parenting styles. It is a comprehensive book designed as a guide for anyone who is in contact with teenagers.

Author Michele Sfakianos believes that parents do their best in raising their children using knowledge that they have but the problem is that they are not always aware of the dangers outside their homes. Her book offers a wide range of topics that are all useful to parents, guidance counselors and teachers or anyone who deals with teenagers. In one book you can get all the answers to your questions starting with raising a teenager and helping them deal with the physical and psychological changes that they go through. We all know that being a teenager is one of the most difficult phases in a person's life and one that will affect the rest of their lives forever. This makes the book very valuable indeed. I have gained a lot of insights into the emotional, biological and relational dimensions of a teenager by reading this book. Although it is not absolutely certain that we could turn our rebellious teenager into a person we want by following a guide, this book on surviving teenhood can certainly give us the proper tools and information just to attempt that.

Author Michelle Sfakianos writes in her disclaimer at the beginning of "The 4-1-1 on Surviving Teenhood" that this book is written as a guide and not as a comprehensive work. It is intended to be an informal work and not to take the place of medical, legal or any other type of professional help. "The 4-1-1 on Surviving Teenhood" does do an up-to-date coverage of issues such as drugs, bullying, and contraception that face today's teenager and lists different things for which parents and guardians should watch. But I would say that the author covers only the tip of the iceberg of facts that should be acknowledged, researched and then possibly treated. As she states in the Preface, "The pressure on our teenagers is to much for many of them to handle. When you consider the teen years as a period of intense physical and intellectual growth, it is understandable that it is a time of confusions and upheaval for both teens and parents." This is a valuable little book for parents as the author's list of types of parenting is extensive and a wake-up call to many.

"The 4-1-1 on Surviving Teenhood" is not a manual by a learned doctor or psychiatrist but in its compactness it will reach many who are turned off by an expert's opinion. The directness of the table of contents alone will draw in the non-reader. For the parent who is shocked by their darling child's morphing into a snarling, combative teenager, this is the book to browse. It will motivate them to do further research on whatever topic is applicable. "The 4-1-1 on Surviving Teenhood" should be available everywhere for everyone.