What Every 21st Century Parent Needs to Know: Facing Today's Challenges With Wisdom and Heart

by Debra W. Haffner

Parenting in the 21st century presents a new set of challenges that require new solutions. Like their parents before them, today’s parents have to help their children navigate school, friends, crushes, extracurricular activities, and sexuality. But they also face a bewildering new world, driven by ever-evolving technology and media, that frequently thwarts their efforts to raise physically, emotionally, and sexually healthy children. With understanding and clarity, parenting educator Debra Haffner author of the award-winning From Diapers to Dating and Beyond the Big Talk) draws on extensive research to debunk the myths, validate the concerns, and address parents’ questions. She provides concrete examples, practical advice, and enlightening anecdotes, and explains what parents can do to get it right today. “The good news is that even in the most challenging circumstances, good parenting seems to make a difference,” writes Haffner. “The choices we make can greatly increase our chances of raising a child who becomes a happy, productive adult.”

Genres: Parenting

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still some good advice, but the book is dated. Parents are no longer worried about MySpace pages.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing in this parenting guide is good. It's full of nice juicy stats that do not get in the way of its fluid readability. What I didn't research before beginning my read is that it was first published in 2008. So much of it is completely outdated. I don't think any of us are super worried about those crazy teens with their Blackberries and their MySpace pages anymore. So any reader would need to just skip right over those chapters. I also admit to skipping the chapters about religious faith because they also don't apply to my family. But if this book is giving an update, it would be really useful. The other chapters were good, and contained useful info.

[Marjanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good parenting book. The author gives sound advice, even if it's not particularly revolutionary. The author also seems to have a good handle on what parents are challenged by and how to parent and get the most of out it. I hope I am already doing some of the stuff she talked about, but I'm glad I read this before my children are even close to being teenagers. I hope it will help me be a better parent.

[jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked the lay-out of this book and how it was arranged around topics of current concerns facing parents (eating disorder, media influence etc.). the writing was a bit sophomoric but several nuggets of reassurance made it worthwhile. most importantly to me was the reassurance that issues facing kids today are real and yet each generation of kids has had their own issues and have survived with healthy doses of BOUNDARIES and LOVE !

[Jeanelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped to calm some of my fears created by the media.

[Milton]

Two topics called our attention: How to deal with cybersecurity and the talk all parents should have with their teens about sex, understandable and at their level

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is helpful for setting expectations for what is normal vs. abnormal. not much advice on going forward, but good perspective