"Liberated Parents, Liberated Children"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how authors Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish wrote their counter-cultural book, "Liberated Parents, Liberated Children: Your Guide to a Happier Family," regarding tips and tactics for parents to use as they raised children before the term 'counter-cultural' had become politically correct. It looks at how, in 1974, when the majority of children were being raised under the questionable, permissive advice of Dr. Spock, these authors focused on another aspect of child rearing. It looks at how they were significantly influenced by child psychologist Haim Ginott ,who believed that it was the emotional well-being of the child that would guide his actions.

From the Paper:

"This differentiation between giving of ourselves to our children, and giving ourselves over to our children is the delicate line which Mazlish and Faber walk throughout their book as they discuss skills for parents to learn to build emotionally balanced and self-secure children. The approach which encourages parents to remain in their authority role in the child's life, as well as equips the parent to connect with the child's feeling is the element of this book which sets it apart from other works. Dr. Spock taught parents to reason with their children rather than correct them. By doing so, the well intentioned doctor instructed parents to abdicate an important role in their children's development, which is the role of authority to which the child is accountable."

More papers on "Liberated Parents, Liberated Children":

• Book Review # 49453 : "Families and "Liberated Parents, Liberated Children"
• Essay # 23426 : "Evolution of the American Family"
• Term Paper # 101387 : "Social Change and Same-Sex Marriage in Canada"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: