Dear all, at the start of the year I mentioned a few times on Instagram that I was working on a project that was really demanding and keeping me incredibly busy, and now I can finally tell you what it was all about. I deliberately didn’t say anything about it until now so it would be a little surprise for you – for everyone who regularly reads our Teen Time youth column here:
Teen-Time: Navigating your child’s teenage years with confidence
There’s going to be a BOOK. A book like a friend who takes you by the hand and guides you through the turbulent teenage years with children aged between around 12 and 19, offering plenty of emotional and honest insights. A book called TEEN-TIME. Between eye-rolling and hugs – navigating your child’s puberty with confidence. Fear-busting and full of honest confidence!
And I’ve even chosen a new publisher for it; it will be published by humboldt, a publishing house where a genuine commitment to parents, children, authors and readers is put into practice. And yes, this is also the publisher behind the quasi-bible for parents of teenagers, namely “Miteinander durch die Pubertät” by Inke Hummel (haven’t got it yet? Then buy it!).
And whilst Inke’s book guides mums and dads of teenagers through the turbulent teenage years with a focus on bonding and pedagogical precision, my TEEN TIME book will connect with you primarily on an emotional and realistic level, making it the perfect complement (yes, sorry, but you’ll need both!).
What if your daughter’s boyfriend is a hick?
Because what on earth is it like when your daughter’s new boyfriend is a patriarchal hick? How do I react if my child lies to me about vaping or gets caught shoplifting? What can I do if party crashers suddenly storm the 16th birthday party? How can I deal with my child’s notorious reluctance to go to school and constant fiddling with TikTok? How do I motivate my child for their future career when everything is in flux right now?
What about my own feelings?
And what am I actually supposed to do with my own feelings when my child barricades themselves in their room and now prefers to discuss their issues with their gang rather than with me, leaving me torn between pride and a kind of heartbreak, because this little chubby-cheeked one was practically still sitting on my lap just a moment ago…!
How do I deal with it when, after some disrespectful behaviour, someone suggests that I should now ‘start cracking down a bit harder’ when it comes to parenting? And: Can you actually raise teenagers without punishments and the much-vaunted “This will have consequences for you!”? (Spoiler: yes!!) But who can tell me at the same time whether I’m overlooking something? Whether the way things are going in our house is still normal… And how on earth do I get any sleep at night when the teenagers are out partying? Waaaaah.
Don’t mock young people, but take all sides seriously
It was very important to me when writing that both sides were examined: that of the parents and guardians, and that of the minors. That young people aren’t ridiculed (as is unfortunately so often the case!) for their actions, that we don’t make fun of red patches on their faces after their first hyaluronic acid mask from the chemist’s, but that we offer help.
All sides and feelings are taken seriously. Together, we look at how parents and children can reconnect when they feel they have lost touch. On equal terms! Anyone who knows me knows how incredibly important this is to me. Attentiveness, interest, honesty, openness, humour and, every now and then, a touch of light-heartedness and ease – because that can help us all (provided it’s not a matter of life and death).
There’s a lot of YOU in this book
A looooot of your input has also gone into this work, because you comment so well on this column, and because I’m increasingly getting questions from you about how I would react to this or that. There will be sooo many relieving insights into parenthood! I’ve packed all of that into this 190-page book, which will be published on 27 August 2026.
That’s 99 days from today. Starting today, I’ll be sharing with you from time to time what’s been going through my mind on the journey to this book, and I’ll be asking you to give me – and us – a massive helping hand in bringing this book into the world, telling people about it, pre-ordering the book (!!!).
Because pre-orders ultimately determine how well the book is placed in shops, whether it lands on the famous bestseller list, which in turn means that a bit more light-heartedness can find its way into many more living rooms filled with scattered, holey, formerly white teenage socks. And how lovely would that be?! Would you mind helping out a bit? I’d be over the moon.
Will you help me? I’d be over the moon!
So please do let me know if you’d like me to print some postcards to go with this, if you work in youth support services and need sample copies, or if you’d like me to send you photos so you can share them on social media or in your WhatsApp status.
It’s May now. TEEN TIME – the book is coming out at the end of August. We now have three months to make the launch a massive success. I’m counting on you. And to be honest, I’m also pretty excited because it’s the first book with only my name on it as the author, help! (But there’ll be a surprise from Katharina soon too; it’s going to be a wild second half of the year for us and for you, I promise).
But first of all: THANK YOU for reading this far, thank you for visiting this column so often that something like this could even come of it, and THANK YOU for helping me from here on out, because on my own it’s all for nothing! Let teens and teen parents rule the world. Vamonos! I reckon it’ll all work out fine…
