How to Grow a Grown Up

Book excerpt: Whether you have a teen who is struggling with exam pressure, a young adult who hasn’t settled into university life or you are curious about what lies ahead for your younger child, How to Grow a Grown Up will help you to build your child's confidence and resilience - so they can become a strong, happy and independent adult. We’re fast approaching the 3rd decade of the 21st century and it’s a very different world from the one in which parents (and teachers) grew up in. Challenging issues have come together – including cyber bullying, ‘always-on’ culture and ever increasing pressure to do well – to create a perfect storm. The result is that teenagers and young adults are now less prepared for a more challenging world – and if they don’t develop the skills they need to help them thrive they can become easy prey to mental health problems. In this book Dr Dominique Thompson, the UK’s leading GP on student mental health and educational expert Fabienne Vailes, reveal what exactly parents need to do to help teenagers and young adults in this new world – and how to manage problems along the way. It includes: *An overview of the pressures and problems facing this generation of young people - why are they increasingly stressed, anxious or suffering from mental health issues *What exactly parents can do to help their teens and young adults become healthily independent, navigate challenges and flourish in preparation for adult life *How pastoral care at universities and workplaces is changing, and what a parent’s role could and should be *Ways to recognise the signs of mental health distress and what to do about it, particularly dealing with problems from a distance