Here’s some advice from the book “How to Survive Your Teenager” (Hundreds of Heads Books, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“Each of our children has had a friend at some time that worried us. However, we made a point to actively get to know the friend. It showed that we cared about what happened to our child, and it showed the friend that there was a friendly home to visit. It kept our son grounded while around another child who probably wasn’t.”

—C. Hope Clark, Phoenix, Ariz.; mom to four boys, 31, 26, 21 and 19

“Get a really big vehicle and offer to be the chauffeur whenever they and a group of their friends need one. They tend to view you as part of the inside of the car. Fade the speakers to the back so the music is louder there, and they’ll talk louder. Then just listen. You’ll be amazed at what you find out — who got suspended, who’s going out with whom, who came to school dressed like a slut. Whatever you do, don’t participate in the conversation or they’ll know you’re listening and shut up.”

—Pat Curry, Athens, Ga., parent to two girls, 17 and 15

“We made sure we knew where our kids were, and we kept track of their friends. We made sure they had decent ones. We told them they had to respect the law and respect other people’s property. They did pull some stuff, but nothing ever too bad. They knew what we expected from them.”

—Anonymous, Mason, Mich., parent to four boys, 48, 46, 45, 44 and 42, and one girl, 40

“A major concern for parents is over what happens when a teen is pressured by friends or groups. I advise parents to prepare their kids for the pressure by having rehearsals at home. Pretend to be your teen’s friend and say, ‘Why don’t you smoke this?’ Encourage your teen to come up with strong responses that he is comfortable with, such as, ‘Gee, I wish I could but I have such a strict mom’ or ‘I would, but the coach would kick me off the team.’”

—Erika Karres, Chapel Hill, N.C., mom to daughters in their late 30s

“Make your home the gathering point, regardless of how many soft drinks and chips you have to buy. Then you’ll know where your kids are.”

—Elaine Fantle Shimberg, Tampa, Fla., mom to two girls, 41 and 38, and three boys, 40, 37 and 32

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share.