Hold On to Your Kids

Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers

By Gordon Neufeld & Gabor Mate’

I found this book to be one of the best parenting books on the market.  Today’s kids are becoming more and more technologically savvy and in doing so, less connected to parents.  However, as Dr. Neufeld and Dr. Mate’ so eloquently explain, kids need to feel attached to their parents in order to thrive.  The more “peer oriented” a child is, the more likely they are to seek advice and direction from their peers who are not capable of giving such information.

Discipline can only truly be effective if children and adults are attached to each other.  Otherwise, kids will dismiss their parents and sets up discipline as a frustrating tug of war.  One of my favorite lines in the book is “connection before direction”.  If the connection is in place, kids are more apt to hear and accept the guidance.

Hold On to Your Kids explains how parental influence breaks down and gives parents ideas of how to reattach to their children.  I hope you find the book as enlightening as I did!