Harvard psychologist Richard Weissbourd argues incisively that parents — not peers, not television — are the primary shapers of their children's moral lives. Through the author's own original field research, including hundreds of rich, revealing conversations with children, parents, teachers, and coaches, a surprising picture emerges. Parents' intense focus on their children's happiness is turning many children into self-involved, fragile conformists. Our fixation with being great parents, and our need for our children to reflect that greatness, can actually make them feel ashamed for failing to measure up.
Weissbourd's ultimately compassionate message, based on compelling new research, is that the intense, crisis-filled, and profoundly joyous process of raising a child can be a powerful force for our own moral development.
"In this ardent and persuasive inquiry, Weissbourd, a Harvard psychologist, warns that 'happiness-besotted' parents do children a disservice by emphasizing personal fulfillment over empathy....Drawing on extensive field research, Weissbourd makes the case that parents, as models of behavior, must be vigilant about their own moral choices." -- The New Yorker
Author | Richard Weissbourd |
---|---|
ISBN | 0547248032 |
Publication Date | Sep 3, 2010 |
Publisher | Mariner Books |
Language | English |
Category | Life Skills, Parent / Child Relationships, Physical / Emotional Development |
Parenting Books Age | Infant to Preschool, Child / School Age, Pre-Teen, Teen |