There were parts of this book I didn't relate to very well--it could be a little over-the-top with the psychobabble, spent a lot of time trying to convince me that I had childhood "issues" I had to deal with first (If I'm going to wait to parent until I have all *my* childhood issues taken care of, I may as well have given up before I started) and there were some pretty, um, OK incredibly lenient examples in the book. (Fifteen-year-old-girl --"Hey, mom, I know how much you worry, so I'm going to tell you--I'm going out to an all-night rave party. I don't intend to have sex with anyone, though" Mom--"Ok, dear, thanks for telling me" ) ???????? Yikes. However, there were some very good chapters on respecting our children, tips on "co-piloting", and an excellent chapter on follow-through that make the book valuable enough a read to merit some stars.