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The 'wonder years' of adolescence are a crucial time in an individual's life: on the one hand, they are full of the joys of self-discovery, while on the other, they can be replete with feelings of isolation and rebellion. For the concerned parents of teenagers, it is a time of great confusion, as they feel threatened by the communication breakdown that is the most immediate manifestation of a so-called generation gap. They feel out of touch with things that are 'in' and 'happening' in the adolescent's world. Above all, they are in constant fear of their children experimenting with drugs, alcohol and sex. In this book, noted psychologist Sumati Ghosh offers some invaluable tips to parents who wish to genuinely understand and help their children through the upheavals of adolescence. Beginning with the physiological effects, she goes on to discuss issues that are central to a teenager's life, like social pressures, attitudes and relationships. Through a number of illustrative case studies, she discusses the typical problems a young person faces, and indicates how these can be tackled most effectively.Finally, she offers a troubleshooting guide for the parent, providing a checklist of the danger signals that indicate maladjustment in a teenager.