Spotting Danger Before It Spots Your Teens

Teaching Situational Awareness to Keep Teenagers Safe

By: Gary Dean Quesenberry, Amber Landry BSN RN - foreword

Narrated by: Gary Dean Quesenberry

Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

As adults, we like to think we have a good idea of what the world may have in store for our teenagers, but the fact of the matter is there's a vast divide between what we perceive as dangerous and what our teens are actually up against.

Teenagers (ages 13 to 19) face unique challenges when it comes to situational awareness.

These challenges are only exacerbated by the constant physical and biological changes teens are subjected to. As young people learn to deal with these changes, they begin to explore the limits of their individuality.

Unfortunately, this process often involves rebellious behavior and unnecessary risk-taking. The key to keeping teens safe during this time is to keep them alert and engaged with their environment.

Teenagers have to understand that real personal safety isn't about being scared of what lies around the next corner. It requires confidence that if something bad were about to happen, that they have these skills:

• Ability to identify the problem early
• Competence to develop a plan of action
• Power to control their fear
• Aptitude to implement that plan

Spotting Danger Before It Spots Your Teens is designed around the principles of positive communication, trust, and teamwork. It’s written specifically to set parents' minds at ease and allow teens to confidently explore their independence, secure in the fact that they can spot dangerous situations before they happen and take the necessary steps to ensure their own well-being.

©2022 Gary Dean Quesenberry (P)2022 YMAA Publication Center

Critic reviews

"Situational awareness is the most important mental self-defense skill in the world, and one of the most difficult to teach. Mr. Quesenberry manages it by distilling decades of real-world experience into a set of knowledge and techniques the layperson can understand. In this third book of his series, he approaches with laser-like focus the challenges of raising safe teens. Every parent of a teen needs this book today. Every parent of a younger child should read it now so they have more time to get ready. One of the things I particularly appreciate about Mr. Queensberry’s work is his understanding of the civilian mindset. The majority of books by safety professionals, soldiers, and law enforcement approach the lesson from the mindset of a violence professional. They assume a level of knowledge, interest, and capacity for violence that is (thankfully) missing from civilian parents. Mr. Queensberry’s Heads Up series avoids that mistake. He meets parents where they are and provides instruction and advice for the world they live in."—Jason Brick, 6th degree black belt, host of Safest Family on the Block, author of the Safest Family on the Block newsletter, and bestselling author of Safe Home Blueprint

"In this third book in his self-help series, Quesenberry draws on his years of professional training and personal experiences to help parents keep their teens safe. A thorough and well-intentioned safety guide for parents."—Kirkus Reviews