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| January 2009 |  |
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assive social changes have had a profound effect on family life and
parent-child relationships, says parenting expert Ron Taffel, Ph.D.,
in his new book Childhood Unbound.Among other things, social forces and attempts to contend with them have spawned a confusing and contradictory range of parenting advice. In a very interesting discussion, Dr. Taffel traces the evolution of  this
advice from the 1970’s to the present.Rather than focusing on negative aspects of children today or simply characterizing their parents as “helicopter” moms and dads, he takes a more positive view. He sees today’s parents as uniquely qualified to bring out the best in their kids because they, too, grew up in a landscape of social change—and he shows how they can do this (see Front Page feature). Drawing on years of counseling children and their families and making presentations to parent groups all over the country, Dr. Taffel says it’s our job as parents to recognize the changed state of affairs and to guide our children and teens in a powerful new way. He offers an original approach to encouraging the good in kids and steering them away from the bad. Using realistic examples, the author walks parents through innovative methods to get children’s attention, engage them in meaningful conversation, provide needed guidance, set limits they will respect and rebuild supportive communities. “With attuned guidance, our kids have the potential to reconcile the contradictions in their lives,” writes Dr. Taffel, in a wonderfully optimistic statement. “There are many reasons to believe that they will become more well-rounded, fulfilled and balanced adults than we have been; more genuinely open to the diversity of cultural perspectives around the world; more aware, comfortable and healthy in their sexual lives; more able to understand and empathize with generations other than their own.” Childhood Unbound: Saving Our Kids’ Best Selves—Confident Parenting in a World of Change (Free Press, hardcover, $26) is available in bookstores and online.  |
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