Synopses & Reviews
Psychologist Madeline Levine brings together cutting-edge research and thirty years of clinical experience to explode once and for all the myth that good grades, high test scores, and college acceptances should define the parenting endgame.
Parents, educators, and the media wring their hands about the plight of America's children and teens—soaring rates of emotional problems, limited coping skills, disengagement from learning and yet there are ways to reverse these disheartening trends. Teach Your Children Well acknowledges that every parent wants successful children. However, until we are clearer about our core values and the parenting choices that are most likely to lead to authentic, and not superficial, success, we will continue to raise exhausted, externally driven, impaired children who believe they are only as good as their last performance. Real success is always an inside job, argues Levine, and is measured not by today's report card but by the people our children become fifteen or twenty years down the line.
Refusing to be diverted by manufactured controversies such as "tiger moms versus coddling moms," Levine confronts the real issues behind the way we push some of our kids to the breaking point while dismissing the talents and interests of many others. She shows us how to shift our focus from the excesses of hyperparenting and the unhealthy reliance on our children for status and meaning to a parenting style that concentrates on both enabling academic success as well as developing a sense of purpose, well-being, connection, and meaning in our children's lives.
Teach Your Children Well is a call to action. And while it takes courage to make the changes we believe in, the time has come, says Levine, to return our overwrought families to a healthier and saner version of themselves.
Review
“A fantastic, on-point, desperately needed book! If you have children or care about children or care about the future of this country and the world, read this book.” Dr. Ned Hallowell, author of < i=""> The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness <>
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“A modern guide for the perplexed! First Levine captures a culture which puts competition and social status ahead of character. Then, with a gentle, firm remarkably clear head, she tells parents precisely what to do to bring good sense and respect for children back to parenting.” Wendy Mogel, PhD, author of < i=""> The Blessing of a B Minus <> and < i=""> The Blessing of a Skinned Knee <>
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“Madeline Levines voice is a welcome antidote to the Tiger-Momming of America. [Teach Your Children Well] is packed with smart and savvy advice for raising independent, productive, and well-adjusted young people. Read this bookyour kids will thank you.” Daniel H. Pink, author of < i=""> Drive <> and < i=""> A Whole New Mind <>
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“With keen insight and telling examples, Levine offers suggestions for adopting a more balanced idea of success that requires changing deeply ingrained habits but is well worth the effort.” David Elkind, PhD, author of < i=""> The Hurried Child <>
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“Powerful text. . . . Parents who want their kids to succeed without compromising their health or losing the joy of learning will be buoyed by Levines support, encouragement, and guidance.” < i=""> Publishers Weekly <>
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“For the sake of the adults of tomorrow, I hope that Teach Your Children Well becomes a must-read and must-discuss book for parents today.” Kenneth R. Ginsburg MD, MS Ed, author of < i=""> Letting Go with Love and Confidence <> and < i=""> Building Resilience in Children and Teens <>
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“Practical advice for raising well-rounded and successful children. . . . A rethinking of the term ‘success provides new insight on how to raise todays youth.” < i=""> Kirkus Reviews <>
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“Levine really comes into her own . . . when she moves beyond child development to concentrate instead on parent development, exploring why we do the misguided things we do, and asking how we must (as we must) change ourselves and behave differently.” Judith Warner, < i=""> New York Times Book Review <> (Editor's Choice)
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“An excellent new book.” < i=""> Forbes <>
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“Heres one potentially bright and shiny opportunity for optimism (at least if you take her advice) thanks to one busy and one hopes wise clinical psychologist. . . . Her insights are fresh . . . look no further for your Beach Book, here it is!” < i=""> Psychology Today <>
Review
“Levine, author of The Price of Privilege, offers practical tips for helping kids relax, cope with the very real demands of adolescence and mature into healthy adults.” < i=""> San Jose Mercury News <>
Synopsis
Psychologist Madeline Levine, author of the
New York Times bestseller
The Price of Privilege, brings together cutting-edge research and thirty years of clinical experience to explode once and for all the myth that good grades, high test scores, and college acceptances should define the parenting endgame.
Teach Your Children Well is a toolbox for parents, providing information, relevant research and a series of exercises to help parents clarify a definition of success that is in line with their own values as well as their childrens interests and abilities. Teach Your Children Well is a must-read for parents, educators, and therapists looking for tangible tools to help kids thrive in todays high-stakes, competitive culture.
About the Author
Madeline Levine, PhD, is a clinician, consultant, and educator; the author of the New York Times bestseller The Price of Privilege; and a cofounder of Challenge Success, a project of the Stanford School of Education that addresses education reform, student well-being,and parent education. She lives outside San Francisco with her husband and is the proud mother of three newly minted adult sons.