A debut guide aims to help children become more independent and responsible.
The main targets of Beecham’s short, epigrammatic book are baby boomers and the so-called “Boomerang Generation” they parented, a group characterized as graduating from high school or college in the 21st century. According to the author, the members of that generation grew up overindulged by their parents, knowing that whatever problems they had or mistakes they made could be resolved by turning to them for rescue. Beecham’s point, which has been raised by many other parenting authorities and hardly seems controversial, is that this approach not only hurts the younger generation it was ostensibly intended to help, but also damages the wider society every bit as much. “When a society loses the capacity to raise children to be responsible, self-reliant, independent and caring people,” the author writes, “it’s a big problem.” To solve this problem, Beecham lays out some basic, useful precepts for parents and guardians: require personal responsibility, strike a balance between being the friend a child wants and the parent a child needs, have enough self-control to allow a kid to stumble, make sure failures have real consequences from which the youngster can learn, and so on. In all of this, as the author makes clear, that concept of balance is crucial. If a parent is too lenient, for instance, teenagers “will not feel the comfort of knowing that the world does impose boundaries,” whereas if the parent is too controlling, the teens won’t have room to grow. Parents and caregivers facing this tricky balancing act should find Beecham’s clear text, simple language, and bulleted points a boon. Unlike many similar books, this candid account doesn’t make helpless saints out of the members of the Boomerang Generation—the text makes accurate allowance for how manipulative and self-serving they can be, and it’s equally hard but fair on the much-maligned baby boomers themselves.
A refreshingly frank—and ultimately optimistic—dissection of the perils of parenting in the hyper-permissive 21st century.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-980392-15-6
Page Count: 132
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
Categories: GENERAL NONFICTION
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