The Gift of Failure

In the tradition of Paul ToughsHow Children Succeedand Wendy MogelsThe Blessing of a Skinned Knee,this groundbreaking manifesto focuses on the critical school years when parents must learn to allow their children to experience the disappointment and frustration that occur from lifes inevitable problems so that they can grow up to be successful, resilient, and self-reliant adults.

Modern parenting is defined by an unprecedented level of overprotectiveness: parents who rush to school at the whim of a phone call to deliver forgotten assignments, who challenge teachers on report card disappointments, mastermind childrens friendships, and interfere on the playing field. As teacher and writer Jessica Lahey explains, even though these parents see themselves as being highly responsive to their childrens well being, they arent giving them the chance to experience failureor the opportunity to learn to solve their own problems.

Overparenting has the potential to ruin a childs confidence and undermine their education, Lahey reminds us. Teachers dont just teach reading, writing, and arithmetic.

They teach responsibility, organization, manners, restraint, and foresightimportant life skills children carry with them long after they leave the classroom.

Providing a path toward solutions, Lahey lays out a blueprint with targeted advice for handling homework, report cards, social dynamics, and sports. Most importantly, she sets forth a plan to help parents learn to step back and embrace their childrens failures. Hard-hitting yet warm and wise,The Gift of Failureis essential reading for parents, educators, and psychologists nationwide who want to help children succeed.