In conversation with Chris Mazzola

Raising teenagers has always been hard. But it is much harder these days.

Today's teenagers and preteens are growing up in an entirely new world, one that is defined by social media and mobile devices. This has huge implications for our parenting. Understandably, many parents are paralyzed by new problems that didn't exist less than a decade ago, like social media and video game obsession, sexting, and vaping.

A highly acclaimed sociologist and coach at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center and the author of Raising Happiness, Dr. Christine Carter melds research—including the latest findings in neuroscience, sociology, and social psychology—with her own real-world experiences as the mother of four teenagers. In The New Adolescence, you'll find realistic ways to help teens and preteens find joy, focus, ease, motivation, fulfillment and engagement, and practical guidance for:

• Providing the structure teens need while giving them the autonomy they seek
• Helping them overcome distractions
• Teaching them the art of "strategic slacking"
• Protecting them from anxiety, isolation, and depression
• Fostering the real-world, face-to-face social connections they desperately need
• Effective conversations about tough subjects--including sex, drugs, and money

The New Adolescence is a realistic and reassuring handbook for parents. It offers road-tested, science-based solutions for raising happy, healthy, and successful teenagers.

Christine Carter, PhD, is the author of The Sweet Spot and Raising Happiness. A sociologist and Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, Carter draws on the latest scientific research in psychology, sociology and neuroscience—and uses her own real-world experiences—to give parenting, productivity, and happiness advice. A sought-after keynote speaker and coach, Dr. Carter also teaches online classes that help people live their most fulfilling lives. She lives with her husband, four teenagers, and dog, Buster, in Marin County, California.

Chris Mazzola is currently the Head of School at the Branson School in Ross. Prior to Branson, Chris spent 25 years working with teenagers in different schools; she was a teacher, coach, and administrator at the Thacher School in Ojai, CA for twenty years and also served for five years as the High School Principal at St. Anne's Belfield School in Charlottesville, VA. Chris loves working with teenagers, and her philosophy of education centers around creating student-centered programs and environments that not only prepare adolescents for college, but also prepare them to make a positive impact in the world by leading lives of integrity, purpose, learning, and joy. Chris holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MAT from Vanderbilt University.