great book!

I just finished reading this book and I would highly recommend it to all parents! It's less about teaching your kids do chores and more about eliminating the attitude of "youth entitlement" in your home. She writes:

"Raising independent kids is countercultural these days. Instead of teaching our children to view themselves as capable, we step in to do everything for them. We pave a smooth pathway, compulsively clearing away each pebble of disappointment or difficulty before it can impede their progress."

"With the greatest of intentions and in the name of love, we have developed a tendency to hover, race in to save, protect from failure, arrange for success, manipulate, overprotect, and enable our kids. Freeing their schedules for sports, school, and increasingly important time with friends, we strive to make our children's lives easier or to make success a sure thing by doing it all for them. We shower them with accolades, proclaiming how wonderful they are - yet we rarely give them the opportunity to confirm the substance of that praise."

The author not only clearly identifies the problem, she also presents a solution. Beginning with hard work and high standards. Our kids are capable of so much more than we expect of them!