Parents In Charge

Do your children run your household? Clinical psychologist Dana Chidekel offers help and hope for parents whose days are spent in nonstop negotiation with their feisty offspring. Drawing on developmental psychology, brain research, and case examples, Chidekel describes step-by-step strategies for becoming what she calls "an authoritative parent," one who is unapologetic about setting rules and creating boundaries. "Within the structure and consistency of boundaries, children experience freedom," she promises.

Targeted to parents of newborn to school-age children, Parents in Charge is packed with provocative observations and practical strategies. One of the most helpful parts of the book highlights how parenting casts light on a parent's own childhood memories--and the contrast between the cultures of early childhood and adulthood. Vivid examples of the differences in how children and adults experience time, language, and consequences will cause parents to chuckle in recognition and relief. The book also sweats the small stuff: writing thank you notes, calling adults by their first names, and the need to rethink birthday parties with bulging party bags. Parents will be reassured and reinvigorated by Chidekel's wise counsel. --Barbara Mackoff