The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Coddled Kids, Helicopter

The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents, and Other Phony Crises

A prominent and esteemed critic challenges widely held beliefs about children and parenting, revealing that underlying each myth is a deeply conservative ideology that is, ironically, often adopted by liberal parents.

Somehow a set of deeply conservative assumptions about childrenâ€”what theyâ€™re like and how they should be raisedâ€”has congealed into the conventional wisdom in our society. Parents are accused of being both permissive and overprotective, unwilling to set limits and afraid to let their kids fail. Alfie Kohn systematically debunks these beliefs, not only challenging erroneous factual claims but also exposing the troubling ideology that underlies them. Complaints about pushover parents and coddled kids are hardly new, he shows, and there is no evidence that either phenomenon is especially widespread todayâ€”let alone more common than in previous generations. Moreover, new research reveals that helicopter parenting is quite rare and, surprisingly, may do more good than harm when it does occur. The major threat to healthy child development, Kohn argues, is parenting that is too controlling rather than too indulgent.

With the same lively, contrarian style that marked his influential books about rewards, competition, and education, Kohn relies on a vast collection of social science data, as well as on logic and humor, to challenge assertions that appear with numbing regularity in the popular press and are often accepted uncritically, even by people who are politically liberal. These include claims that young people

Â Â Â â€¢Â suffer from inflated self-esteem
Â Â Â â€¢Â are entitled and narcissistic
Â Â Â â€¢Â receive trophies, praise, and Aâ€™s too easily
Â Â Â â€¢Â are in need of more self-discipline and â€œgritâ€

Kohnâ€™s invitation to reexamine these and other assumptions is particularly timely; his book has the potential to change our cultureâ€™s conversation about kids and the people who raise them.
Country USA
Brand Beacon Press
Manufacturer Beacon Press
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 0807073881_used
Color White
ReleaseDate 2016-03-08
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780807073889

Country	USA
Brand	Beacon Press
Manufacturer	Beacon Press
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	0807073881_used
Color	White
ReleaseDate	2016-03-08
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780807073889

The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents, and Other Phony Crises

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