Tag Archives: a parent’s guide to understanding teenage guys

books, the youth cartel, youth ministry, youth work

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Brains

4 Comments

i had a new book release last week, and i’m pretty stoked about it. it’s the third in a series of five pocket-sized books for parents. i co-authored the first two books in the series (A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Girls was co-authored with brooklyn lindsey, and A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Guys was co-authored with brock morgan). adam mclane and i co-authored the fourth book in the series: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Social Media, and we signed off on the interior a week ago (it should release about december 1). the final book, co-authored with joel mayward, is A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Sex & Dating. our deadline for hat manuscript is in a few weeks, and we’re almost done.

but this one — A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Brains — i wrote all by my little self. i’ve been so fascinated by the implications of brain development on faith development for years. but with new findings about teenage brains in the last decade, there’s SO MUCH that’s worth learning about.

this book is great for parents of teenagers, to be sure (that’s the core audience). but i really think youth workers of any sort would greatly benefit from reading it. it’s super inexpensive, and very quick to read (it’s only about 12,000 words or so). you can get it on The Youth Cartel store (or wherever you buy books!). you can even download a sample on The Youth Cartel store.

here’s the back cover copy:

It’s often tough to understand why teenagers do what they do. One moment they’re calm and rational, but the next they’re agitated and emotional. One day they’re making incredibly wise choices, but the next they’re making disastrous mistakes. Yesterday they earned your trust, but today it seems they’ve lost it once again.

Why such inconsistency? Credit their brains.

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Brains is filled with helpful, practical insights from veteran youth worker Mark Oestreicher.

Without an understanding of teenage brain development, we might miss life’s teachable moments or shut down our child’s curiosity with easy answers that don’t satisfy the search for truth happening below the surface.

That’s why Marko has written this book: to guide you through the world of the teenage brain, to help you understand and appreciate the amazing transformations it undergoes in adolescence to prepare children for adulthood and its many responsibilities.

books, the youth cartel, youth ministry, youth work

two new books for parents

1 Comment

well, here’s some fun news. i had a couple new books release last week while i was on vacation. a fun box of ’em was waiting for me when i got home! they’re the first two books in a series of five. each one is short and easy-to-read (but still packed with helpful info and ideas), written for parents of teenagers. they’re intentionally small and short for a couple reasons: first, i wanted to create something that any parent could/would read; and second, i wanted them to be super-inexpensive. simply youth ministry was great with that vision, and these babies are exactly what i’d hoped they could be.

there are three more books in the series somewhere in development. each will release in the next six months or so (the remaining three are on “teenage brains,” “social media,” and “sex and dating”).

i co-authored these first two, and was super pleased with the work of brock morgan and brooklyn lindsey, two youth ministry friends of mine with whom i have great history and trust, and in whom i have great respect.

both books are available in print and download versions on The Youth Cartel store (follow the links below), or on amazon or the simply site or any other place you might buy books.

A Parent's Guide to Understanding Teenage Girls

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Girls by Marko & Brooklyn Lindsey – $6.99

Change is an inevitable part of life. So why are most of us parents shocked and surprised when our daughters change in unexpected, dramatic, significant ways once they hit the teen years? Girls go through their most dramatic developmental changes during adolescence. And they need parents to be there, just as present and involved as when our little girls were, well, still little girls!

As you read through the pages of A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Girls, veteran youth workers Brooklyn Lindsey and Mark Oestreicher will help you re-examine some assumptions and misunderstandings about this season of life. Then, from a place of trust in God, you will gain a fresh perspective on who your daughter is and who she’s becoming.

This book explores the major changes of adolescence, the influence of parents and friends, the onslaught of feelings and how to respond, and the significance of celebrating milestones in a girl’s life.

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Girls will offer wisdom, insight, and encouragement to respond well, react wisely, and engage effectively. This book is also an ideal resource to prepare you and your daughter for the impending season of change and transformation, if you aren’t there quite yet.

Print version

Digital version

A Parent's Guide to Understanding Teenage GuysA Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Guys by Marko & Brock Morgan

“Brock and Marko have written a comprehensive, practical, and truly helpful book on the complicated struggle that our boys experience on their way to becoming the men God wants them to be. As a mother of one of these exasperating, wonderful creatures (whom I adore in spite of both of us) I highly recommend it.”—Katie Lee Gifford

God wants to do amazing things in your son’s life—and wants you to play an integral role in that adventure. Raising a son to become a God-honoring man is no easy task. It’s complex, it’s dynamic, and it requires a lifetime of investment. But authors Brock Morgan and Mark Oestreicher know it can be done—confidence that’s rooted in their individual journey of faith and in their experience as longtime youth workers.

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Guys will help you discover insights on shepherding your son, preparing him to take the reins of his life, and helping him confront the extreme struggles every guy faces—such as loneliness, anger, lust, apathy, and technology. They can pursue a life that challenges the values of our culture and experience a life lived for God.

This book will enlighten, encourage, and equip you as a parent. And if you’re a youth worker, you’ll want to put this book into the hands of parents of the young men in your ministry as you walk alongside them.

Print version

Digital version

(did you see that? we got an endorsement from kathie lee gifford! for reals!)

books, personal, youth ministry, youth work

3 books coming out in august

1 Comment

i’m pretty pumped to announce that i have THREE books releasing in august. crazy, huh?

i’ve developed a series of little pocket guides for parents of teenagers for simply youth ministry. these are really designed to be a quick and accessible read for any parent, with the goal of increasing understanding (which, i’ve often found, puts parents in a better place to connect with their teenagers). the books are something youth workers could buy in bulk (they’ll be super inexpensive), and make available to parents.

there will be five books in all, releasing over the next 6 months or so. on four of them, i recruited a fantastic co-author.

the first two in the series are:

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Guys: Remembering Who He Was, Celebrating Who He’s Becoming
by Mark Oestreicher and Brock Morgan

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Girls: Remembering Who She Was, Celebrating Who She’s Becoming
by Mark Oestreicher and Brooklyn Lindsey

the other books in the series will be:
A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenage Brains, which i wrote on my own
A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Social Media, which Adam McLane co-authored with me
and, A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Sex & Dating, which Joel Mayward is co-authoring with me

and… (i’m really pumped about this one!)… i co-authored a book with my two kids, Liesl and Max! They really did write the bulk of it. the three of us went on a writing retreat, framing out the whole book and writing 2/3 of it. then, on a family vacation over spring break, we finished writing the last 1/3.

it’s a book for teenagers, also published with simply youth ministry. and it’s called:

99 Thoughts on Raising Your Parents: Living the Sweet Life at Home
by Liesl and Max Oestreicher, with Mark Oestreicher

you’ll be able to get them all on the simply store, or on The Youth Cartel store, or anywhere fine books are sold! and, of course, you can count on the fact that i’ll let you know when they actually release (very soon!).