As anyone with children, or grandchildren, knows, parenting isn’t easy. Children and adolescents are growing up in a complex and connected world where smartphones, video games, organized activities and friends vie for their attention. At the same time, parents aren’t exactly always sure what their job description should be – or how to best nurture their child.
In his book, The Collapse of Parenting, Leonard Sax presents a compelling case for why parents should remain front-and-center in the lives of their children and teens, rather than allowing peer relations, the Internet or other distractions to take precedence. Parents need to serve as authoritative guides for their children if they are to learn the values and habits that will enable them to become fulfilled adults, Dr. Sax says. And he decries what he calls a growing “culture of disrespect” that leaves parents powerless and the kids in charge.
Dr. Sax is a longtime practicing physician and psychologist and the author of several previous books. In The Collapse of Parenting, he describes the problems that arise when we treat our kids as grownups, and offers concrete ideas on course corrections parents can make.