About the Author: Susan Tordella
Susan Tordella, M.A., is a parenting expert, speaker, author and encouragement guru.
A former newspaper editor and director of a private non-profit that served Fortune 500 companies, Susan received multiple awards for excellence in both fields. She has led scores of workshops on how to get people to do what you want -- also known as "management skills."
Susan spent 13 years at "management boot camp" by living with four teenagers and even worse, sharing her car with them. "Teens taught me the power of encouragement instead of criticism, listening instead of lectures, and laughter instead of going berserk," Susan says.
Susan can be heard on WCAP 980 radio every Monday morning as the Parenting Expert. She is the author of "Raising Able: how chores cultivate capable young people" and the e-book, "‘Are you ready yet?' Transform morning havoc to harmony." Susan blogs at www.susantordella.com.
Susan mentors prison inmates on public speaking and teamwork, and involves other volunteers to start new prison programs.
Susan lives by this personal manifesto: "If you can't laugh at it, you can't live with it."
"'Can I borrow the car' How to partner with your teen for safe driving" is an e-book about how parents can influence teenagers to learn safe driving habits written by Susan Tordella, who taught all four teens how to drive automatic and stick shift vehicles. Susan is also the author of "Raising Able: How chores empower families" where she shares wisdom gleaned from a decade of leading parenting workshops and 25 years of raising four successful children by using Adlerian psychology.
The book has two objectives: 1. To share suggestions on how parents can relate positively to their teens so that, 2. Teens will listen to them and follow the safe driving habits and keep them out of accidents.
"Can I borrow the car?" gives specific safety habits your teen can use to avoid accidents that are useful and easy to learn, useful for adults and teenage drivers. Susan uses stories to show how to partner with your teen to insure they drive safely. Her true stories include three accidents caused by her teens and weren't fatal, give Susan credibility. Accidents happen. This short book, full of suggestions on how to relate to your teen positively and avoid alienating him or her, may prevent accidents, show your teenagers that you expect them to drive responsibly, and possibly prevent a fatal accident.
Susan recommends the use of family meetings to set up a mutually respectful relationship for life with your teenager, which may influence him or her to follow the safe driving habits you will teach and model. Modeling the safe driving habits is more powerful than talking about them. Susan encourages parents to talk about teen accidents published in the media to promote awareness and prevent accidents.
Readers will learn how to use encouragement -- how to notice what you like to get more of it, instead of being critical, sarcastic or complaining. This short, to-the-point guide on how to encourage teens to learn safe driving habits teaches parents how to take a positive attitude and be a good role model to promote safe driving. Much is at stake with new drivers. The rate of accidents among teenage drivers newly licensed is higher than the rate of any other age group. At the end of the book is a one page Teen Safe Driving Contract, another tool to raise awareness and promote communication with teens that driving has life and death consequences.
