Guest blogger Ingrid Reyes-Arias remembers a Government publication 
that has good information for teenagers and parents alike.
Sometimes growing up can be a scary thing, and rearing a child can be scary, too. As part of my undergraduate career, I devoted a lot of my research time to family and public health issues. With the plethora of information out there, it’s difficult to discern the age-appropriate and accurate health facts. For my part, I relied heavily on many Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publications because I knew they were trustworthy and up to date.
During one of my research efforts, I came across an interesting document from the HHS Office of Women’s Health. It’s called Teen Survival Guide: Health Tips for On-The-Go Girls. I used the information in it to give a class on women’s health to several teenage girls. This guide was extremely helpful when discussing such important topics as reproductive health.
The first portion of the Survival Guide is “Taking care of your reproductive health,” which includes discussions about the body, sexually transmitted diseases, and advice on seeing your doctor. The guide also provides recommendations on personal hygiene, exercise tips, tips on healthy eating habits, adverse effects of drug usage, self-esteem and relationship counseling, and advice on future planning – all of which are very important in the life of a teenager.
This guide is very practical and includes interactive quizzes, real life questions and answers, resources related to the different topics at the end of the sections, and a glossary for many of the medical terms. The ease of interactivity allows for successful teaching of facts to a class, or even to your own child. As parents, this can be a tough topic with plenty of tough moments, so having a special guide will allow for a more neutral encounter with your child.
Take advantage of the Teen Survival Guide. You can also find it in a library. It will make those anxiety-provoking future discussions a lot easier!
govbooktalk
Trudy Hawkins
Government Book Talk 
I am already past daughters as they are married and raising their own families. But I have some granddaughters that this book might help out . Thank you.
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Parenting…
[…]A Teen Survival Guide – for Parents, Too! « Government Book Talk[…]…
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LOVE this guide! Do you have a version for boys?
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It’s a good question! Our guest blogger did some research and found this page, which seems to be a good gateway to information for boys:
http://www.womenshealth.gov/mens/specific-groups/teens.cfm
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Thanks for sharing this survival guide for teens. I think this is also a good gift for my daughter.
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As a parent of a teen girl I can tell you that the best thing is early communication and powerful stright talk. You have to tell your girls straight out that there are boys with raging hormones who want sex. It is biological and often leads to disaster(disease..etc). We have become afraid of our children, we are afraid of STRAIGHT real talk.
Personally,our kids are in the church which is no guarantee but it gives a firm foundation. We give it to them straight and they appreciate it.
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I think as a very important contribution about an issue of the most importance.Take care of reproductive health in teens,is one of greater challenges nowadays.Not only by protecting physical health,also psychological and social future way of life.I want than this experiences could be possible to carry out in developing countries,like at mine,where overall poorish class girls left her lives care growing children,and never can leave th poverty.
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[…] A Teen Survival Guide – for Parents, Too! […]
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EXCELLENT ARTICLE IN THIS BLOG!ACTUALLY “TEEN SURVIVAL GUIDE” , IS VERY USEFUL , AND ADDITIONAL IS INTERESTING DOCUMENT FOR EVERY LIBRARY!NEVERTHELESS , ABOUT THIS TOPIC , THERE IS ONE TRUTH!ACCORDING TO ANCIENT GREEKS:”HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY”!AND ABOUT EVERY DISEASES:”SUFFER THE BODY , BECAUSE SUFFER THE SOUL”!
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This is very good. Things are clearly written and available for the teens today vs. years ago when only the basic things were discussed behind closed doors.
Thanks for sharing.
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I enjoyed this and forwaded to my daugher as the article captures various issues excellently and presents them in a lucid manner. Is there an equivalent one for boys that I can read and forward to my son?
Thanks
Lakshmi
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I’m so glad you asked. Our guest blogger will look into this and try to find an equivalent for boys.
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Here’s a Web page with lots of health-related information for boys:
http://www.womenshealth.gov/mens/specific-groups/teens.cfm
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Is there an equivalent publication for teen age boys and their parents?
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That’s a great question. Others have asked the ame thing. I’ve asked Ingrid, our guest blogger, to identify a similar resource for boys.
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Try this Office of Women’s Health Web page for lots of good information about health and boys:
http://www.womenshealth.gov/mens/specific-groups/teens.cfm
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Thanks for providing this information! I have a teenage daughter and I will definitely read this survival guide.
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This is great! Do they have a similar one for boys?
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That’s a great question. I’ve asked Ingrid, our guest blogger, to identify a similar resource for boys.
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Try this link at the Office of Women’s Health — it has lots of information about health issues pertaining to boys:
http://www.womenshealth.gov/mens/specific-groups/teens.cfm
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Thanks for the survival guide for teens. As the mother of a 17 year old boy and 12 year old girl, I always welcome opportunities to begin a conversation with my teens. A quick glance at the guide proves it will provide opportunity for several important discussions on health, sexuality, and self-esteem. I look forward to using this tool in my home.
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You also might try this Web page from the Office of Women’s health for health information pertaining to boys:
http://www.womenshealth.gov/mens/specific-groups/teens.cfm
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where can I buy this book
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This publication is free from the Office of Women’s Health. You can call 800-994-9662 (TDD 888-220-5446) to check availability and order a copy.
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