In the 1970s, when the Transition began in Spain, Rosa Regàs founded the publishing house La Gaya Ciencia. Within it, she created a collection to disseminate basic day-to-day topics, which were not discussed during the Franco regime. They were short, small-format books, which included titles such as: What is an orgasm, How to avoid pregnancy, What are separation, annulment and divorce or What is hygiene in everyday life. Among them was also: What is adolescence, written in 1977 by the renowned psychiatrist Luis M. Feduchi, a pioneer in the study and treatment of adolescents.
"Of the stages of vital development of the individual, perhaps adolescence is the one that in the shortest and shortest period of time presents such marked anatomical and physiological changes," Feduchi wrote in his manual, where he pointed out that "it would be absurd to think that this situation vital does not have psychological and sociological repercussions”. With this premise, he addressed issues such as sexual awakening at this stage, the influence of the group and conflicts with parents. Clear and erudite, the book was one of the first informative looks at adolescence in a country that was changing at full speed.
Despite the fact that much has happened since then, this theme is still very current. Due to its turbulence and dizzying changes, adolescence is a period that continues to worry parents and confuse children. And a good example is the cascade of books dedicated to her published in recent months. Volumes that reflect concerns and problems that are old acquaintances, although there are also new ones: and it is that, like society, adolescence has become more complex.
Consequently, the editorial offer addresses new issues, such as the technology boom, which is marking the lives of families. Managing screens is a topic that worries parents a lot and to which Empantallados (Vergara) is dedicated, a book coordinated by the journalist specialized in new technologies, Maria José Abad. The goal of this manual is to “successfully educate your children in a world full of screens”. Among others, the authors answer questions such as the effect of social networks and the prevention of cyberbullying, what to do if the child is addicted to video games or pornography, what to answer if they want to be gamers or influencers, and how to get them to have a hobby. and… forget about the screens.
Forgetting about the digital and recovering the taste for reading is the objective of another publishing novelty: (En) lector plan (Plataforma), whose author is Miguel Salas Díaz, doctor in Theory of Literature, poet and professor. The book gives keys to deal with a problem that often occurs in adolescence, when many who read during childhood stop doing so, absorbed by other things (for example, screens). And many parents helplessly watch as the love of reading that they instilled in them vanishes like tears in the rain, being replaced, as the author describes, "by less demanding and profitable forms of leisure and, in some cases, even harmful”. Salas's proposal is to give keys to restore (or even initiate) the reading habit.
As Luis M. Feduchi wrote, in adolescence the changes are resounding and accelerated. In fact, they are so intense that, at times, it is difficult to recognize the child in this new being, subjected to the ups and downs of hormones and physical transformations. Neuroeducation, a discipline that analyzes brain development and its reaction to stimuli, is becoming the key to understanding some of the enigmas of adolescence. Understanding what happens at this stage is the premise of The Teenage Brain (Grijalbo), where David Bueno, a doctor in biology and specialist in neuroeducation, explains, among many other things, the neural causes of adolescent rebellion, how emotions work in this period and the reasons for risky behaviors, for which there is a special inclination in these years.
David Bueno also dedicates a chapter to gender differences: and that is that anyone who has experienced the adolescence of a son and a daughter, will know that they are very different. For those who want to delve into the subject, there is: De niñas a malotas (La Esfera de los Libros), by psychologist Ángel Peralbo. The book is already a classic and, among other things, it explains the reasons why daughters are in such a hurry to grow up, why they feel so misunderstood, the conflicts with their image, with their friends and, of course, with their parents. .
Conflicts and suffering is about adolescent pain (Plataforma), where the psychologist and professor of Secondary Education, José Antonio Luengo, explores the complex world of young people's mental health: the disorders, imbalances and psychological disorders with which some they coexist every day. Without fuss, the author takes us through themes ranging from the classic rejection of physical appearance and adolescent fears to the turning point of making homosexuality public or the growing phenomenon of self-harm. This expert is clear that "growing and maturing also includes a share of suffering"; a warning for boaters of a clear and forceful book.
According to Luengo, dialogue is one of the keys to dealing with setbacks at this stage. However, the paradox occurs that, in adolescence, many children stop talking to their parents. A real obstacle, since science affirms that the best way to help our children gain autonomy, empathy and happiness is... talking. This is stated by the psychologist and Harvard professor, Rebecca Rolland, who in The Art of Talking with Children (Diana), offers tools to help maintain meaningful conversations with children of all ages: whether they are a three-year-old or a teenager. who answers with snorts and monosyllables. Another unique book, useful to better understand these quiet children, is Silent Power—The Secret Force of Introverts (Kairós), where its author, Susan Cain, proposes a guide "for adults, adolescents and children" in which she shows how to use the nature of the introvert to your advantage.
Adolescent anger and its sudden mood swings are aspects that social educator Sara Desirée Ruiz, who has worked with adolescents for more than twenty years, has dealt with in two interesting books. If in The day my daughter called me a bitch (Almuzara-Toromítico) he gave guidelines so that, precisely, disrespect like the one in the title does not occur, in the most recent one: He needs you even if it doesn't seem like it (Grijalbo), he gives resources to parents and educators to accompany adolescents. With thousands of followers on Instagram, the author reminds us that children are not anyone's project, but their own version, and that the job of parents "is to accompany them in the process of discovering who they are, of creating a self-image that allow yourself to feel comfortable in your body and build a pleasant future.”
Anxiety is very present at a stage in which this double-edged emotion is more biologically experienced. And it is that anxiety can be both an ally (without a certain dose of anxiety the Baccalaureate is not passed), and an enemy, which does not let the poor adolescent live. There are several books on the subject, although the recently published The Map of Anxiety (Editions B), by Rubén Casado, addresses what happens when this emotion becomes a disorder. As the author explains: “Before I was a psychologist I was a patient; My encounter with anxiety appeared in my youth, a little over twenty-five years ago. The impact was such that it marked a before and after in his life, which he wanted to reflect in this manual, which will serve parents and children.
One of the ways to deal with anxiety is breathing control, which he proposes. precisely, Breathe—Mindfulness for parents with adolescent children (Kairós), by the Dutch Eline Snel. The author is a therapist and meditation teacher and this book, in addition to exercises for adolescents, includes a CD (Mp3) with thirteen meditations for parents. Another option to relax, from the same publisher, is A Quiet Place, by Amy Saltzman: a mindfulness program to teach children and adolescents to manage stress and difficult emotions.
And it is that closing your eyes and taking a deep breath are two more than recommended practices to overcome a period that has a very bad reputation; a black legend, almost. For this reason, perhaps when facing adolescence it would be convenient to give it a somewhat more optimistic vision.
This is what Diana Al Azem, a secondary school teacher and creator of the Adolescence positiva portal, proposes. In AdolescenteZ from A to Z (Platform), she gives clues to understand children and "respond to their needs without falling into permissiveness or extreme authoritarianism." The book is also a review of the challenges in this period: dealing with the disrespect of that adolescent who "hates you" (yes, there is a time when children hate parents), going through drug use and alcohol, online betting, bad grades and bad company, addiction to video games and early or toxic relationships.
In this alphabet of adolescence, the author does not forget to give keys to facilitate consensus when there is a marital separation and to deal with the phenomenon of parental burnout which, given the list above, is more than understandable. Despite everything, Al Azem believes that it is possible to enjoy raising adolescents. And it is that, as the pedagogue Eva Bach pointed out in another classic of educational literature: Adolescents, how wonderful! (Platform), teenagers, sometimes, can be a blast too.
