Trying to convince a middle schooler to listen to you can be exasperating. Indeed, it can feel like the best option is not to talk But keeping kids safe--and prepared for all the times to come when you can't be the angel on their shoulder--is all about having the right conversations at the right time. And from a brain growth and emotional readiness perspective, there is no better time for this than their tween years, right up to when they enter high school.

Distilling Michelle Icard's decades of experience counseling families, Fourteen (Talks) by (Age) Fourteen focuses on big, thorny topics such as friendship, sexuality, impulsivity, and hygiene, as well as unexpected conversations about creativity, money, privilege, tolerance, and being a contributing member of the family. Icard outlines a simple, memorable, and family-tested formula for the best approach to these essential talks, the BRIEF Model: Begin peacefully, Relate to your child, Interview to collect information, Echo what you're hearing, give Feedback. She also helps parents get over the most common hurdles in talking to tweens: knowing what conversations are most important, figuring out what to say and what phrases to avoid, having a way to get started that won't irritate kids or scare them off, how to keep kids engaged in conversation, and how to exit the conversation in a way that keeps kids wanting more.

Like a Rosetta Stone for your tween's confounding language, Fourteen (Talks) by (Age) Fourteen is an essential guide to preparing your tween for teenaged success.