These guidelines for raising and understanding youths are valuable tools for parents and caretakers worldwide. The suggested approach allows easy reflection in remembering our teenage trials and tribulations. The relatively easy application of our past experiences will help cultivate some of our future leaders, who may otherwise get lost in a negative social or legal system. If that happened, they would quickly become that ""loser"" we spend our time attempting to help our youths avoid. Anyone and everyone with children, or preparing to have children, should have this guideline in their possession and on their bookshelf. Born in Elgin, Illinois, John M. Bradley grew up on the West Side of Chicago, one of the city's worst neighborhoods. Although he dropped out of high school at 16, he overcame the influence of gangs and crime by joining the Job Corps program at the age of 17. After receiving his GED in Job Corps, he went on to earn an AA degree from Elgin Community College and a BA degree in applied behavioral science from National-Louis University out of Evanston, Illinois. He now lives in Minot, North Dakota.