NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In the tradition of Paul Toughās How Children Succeed and Wendy Mogelās The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, this groundbreaking manifesto focuses on the critical school years when parents must learn to allow their children to experience the disappointment and frustration that occur from lifeās inevitable problems so that they can grow up to be successful, resilient, and self-reliant adults.
Modern parenting is defined by an unprecedented level of overprotectiveness: parents who rush to school at the whim of a phone call to deliver forgotten assignments, who challenge teachers on report card disappointments, mastermind childrenās friendships, and interfere on the playing field. As teacher and writer Jessica Lahey explains, even though these parents see themselves as being highly responsive to their childrenās well being, they arenāt giving them the chance to experience failureāor the opportunity to learn to solve their own problems.
Overparenting has the potential to ruin a childās confidence and undermine their education, Lahey reminds us. Teachers donāt just teach reading, writing, and arithmetic. They teach responsibility, organization, manners, restraint, and foresightāimportant life skills children carry with them long after they leave the classroom.
Providing a path toward solutions, Lahey lays out a blueprint with targeted advice for handling homework, report cards, social dynamics, and sports. Most importantly, she sets forth a plan to help parents learn to step back and embrace their childrenās failures. Hard-hitting yet warm and wise, The Gift of Failure is essential reading for parents, educators, and psychologists nationwide who want to help children succeed.