The Seven Common Sins of Parenting An Only Child A Guide for Parents and Families

by White, Carolyn; Smith, Kirsten

• ISBN13: 9780787969615
• ISBN10: 0787969613
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-12
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

As the parent of an only child, are you frustrated because you find yourself overindulging and overcompensating? Do you treat your child like an adult, overpraise, or overprotect him? Have you expected perfection from your child yet failed to make rules and implement them consistently? If you are not a perfect parent of an only child, you are not alone. Based on the real-life experiences of Carolyn White editor of "Only Child, parent, and educator and hundreds of interviews with only children and parents of only children, "The Seven Common Sins of Parenting an Only Child celebrates the special rewards and opportunities of the single-child family and offers a practical (and often humorous) guide for overcoming the most common errors parents can make when rearing an only child.

Author Biography

Carolyn White is editor in chief of Only Child magazine, which has been featured in Time, Newsweek International, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Economist, The Los Angeles Times, and on CNN national and international news and NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Overindulgence	p. 11
Material Overindulgence
Emotional Overindulgence
How Parents Can Avoid Overindulging Their Only Child
Self-Test
Overprotection	p. 35
Why Only Children Are Often Overprotected
Learning to Let Go
Building Confidence
How Parents Can Avoid Overprotecting Their Only Child
Self-Test
Failure to Discipline	p. 61
The Importance of Limits
Building Better Discipline
Defining Discipline
Making Discipline Work with a Young Only Child
Making Discipline Work with a Preadolescent Only Child
Making Discipline Work with an Adolescent Only Child
How Parents Can Avoid Discipline Anxiety
Self-Test
Overcompensation	p. 93
Types of Guilt and Overcompensation
What Parents Can Do About Guilt and Overcompensation
How Parents Can Avoid Overcompensation
Self-Test
Seeking Perfection	p. 113
How Only-Child Parents Can Apply Pressure
Consequences of Perfectionism
How Parents Can Avoid Destructive Perfectionism
Self-Test
Treating Your Child like an Adult	p. 135
How Parents Can Prevent Childhood
Consequences of Adultifying an Only Child
How Parents Can Avoid Adultifying Their Only Child
Self-Test
Overpraising	p. 159
Praising an Only Child Too Much
Making Up for Lost Time
Common Ways to Overpraise
Consequences of Overpraising an Only Child
Benefits of Appropriate Praise
How Parents Can Avoid Overpraising Their Only Child
Self-Test
Epilogue	p. 183
Notes	p. 185
Resources	p. 187
About the Author	p. 189
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