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A review by mary00
The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives by William Stixrud, Ned Johnson
4.0
Excellent parenting book with high applicability to older kids, which some other parenting books are lacking. I loved so many points the authors made, and most of it left me feeling hopeful and not like I have already royally screwed everything up.
My only major quibble is that it felt a bit elitist in parts. For example, the suggestion that if a child is struggling in a certain school subject than the solution might be to hire outside help is not feasible for everyone. Tutors are pricey! There are many parents who do not have the means to make that happen. It also made multiple insinuations that the goal most parents have for their kids is to get into an ivy league school. A few similar examples left me feeling that the authors were just a tad out of touch with the average American family.
Having pointed that out, I just want to reiterate that most of the advice in this book seems extremely solid and it did both change and validate some of my own opinions.
My only major quibble is that it felt a bit elitist in parts. For example, the suggestion that if a child is struggling in a certain school subject than the solution might be to hire outside help is not feasible for everyone. Tutors are pricey! There are many parents who do not have the means to make that happen. It also made multiple insinuations that the goal most parents have for their kids is to get into an ivy league school. A few similar examples left me feeling that the authors were just a tad out of touch with the average American family.
Having pointed that out, I just want to reiterate that most of the advice in this book seems extremely solid and it did both change and validate some of my own opinions.