Author: David Wilson

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2014-06-14

Total Pages: 54

ISBN-13: 9781499768305

This book is an easy read of a little over 100 pages and is an open exchange between a very loving father who thought he was getting it right in the way that he approached the raising of his children. However, an alternate opinion is offered by his daughter who points out that her Dad wasn't so smart after all. There are 10 very important points that direct our attention toward common mistakes that can be made in the give-and-take between parents and children. One of the most important concepts is trying to establish rules and boundaries in those important years prior to the "terrible teens". Many parenting books discuss the challenges confronting mothers, fathers and their children after there has been a loss of dialogue, love and leadership. The atmosphere is not mutual love and trust, but mistrust and defiance. Circumstances such as these leave children extremely vulnerable to the perils of modern society. We are surrounded by horrible dangers on the Internet, on the streets and even in the classroom. If you examine certain societies and cultures around the world, you will see that children within these societies do not give in to the aberrant behaviors that we see so prevalently in America, i.e., drug use, promiscuity, poor academic performance, chronic bullying and a lethargic view of societal responsibilities. This is because in other cultures, there are behavioral requirements and expectations that are built in the early stages of a child's development. The irony is that in the early years of a child's life, establishing desirable behaviors is surprisingly easy. The early years are what the authors describe as "critical periods of development". A simple analogy serves to explain. We all know that children acquire their native language passively, meaning they don't have to work at it, it just comes along naturally. This is because language acquisition happens in a critical period of development. So it is with behavior. During these critical years, too many American parents abdicate their responsibility as teachers, role models and disciplinarians in an effort to be friends with their children. They don't seem to want to put in the work necessary to be a parent. It's easier to give kids a tablet, an iPod or an iPhone than it is to actually get down on their hands and knees and be involved. There is a discussion of the neurological damage that can occur through chronic exposure to what are called by some experts, "passive screens", meaning the screens associated with the aforementioned electronic devices. Interestingly, even though this book is a dialogue between father and daughter, it is the daughter's retrospective look that highlights what she perceived to be the ten most important concepts that appear to have been mismanaged while she was maturing. The bottom line to successful parenting as suggested by the authors is to get going early in your child's life, be consistent, be loving and don't be afraid to be strong.