How to raise an adult : break free of the overparenting trap and prepare your kid for success / Julie Lythcott-Haims

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Part 1: What We're Doing Now -- 1. Keeping Them Safe and Sound -- 2. Providing Opportunity -- 3. Being There for Them -- 4. Succumbing to the College Admissions Arms Race -- 5. To What End? -- Part 2: Why We Must Stop Overparenting -- 6. Our Kids Lack Basic Life Skills -- 7. They've Been Psychologically Harmed -- 8. They're Becoming "Study Drug" Addicts -- 9. We're Hurting Their Job Prospects -- 10. Overparenting Stresses Us Out, Too -- 11. The College Admission Process Is Broken -- Part 3: Another Way -- 12. The Case for Another Way -- 13. Give Them Unstructured Time -- 14. Teach Life Skills -- 15. Teach Them How to Think -- 16. Prepare Them for Hard Work -- 17. Let Them Chart Their Own Path -- 18. Normalize Struggle -- 19. Have a Wider Mind-set About Colleges -- 20. Listen to Them -- Part 4: Daring to Parent Differently -- 21. Reclaim Your Self -- 22. Be the Parent You Want to Be -- Conclusion -- Appendix A -- Appendix B -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgments -- Index.

"Exposes the detrimental effects of helicopter parenting and puts forth an alternative philosophy for raising self-sufficient young adults. Across a decade as Stanford University's Dean of Freshmen, Lythcott-Haims noticed a startling rise in parental involvement in students' lives. Every year, more parents were exerting control over students' academic work, extracurriculars, and career choices, often taking matters into their own hands rather than risk their child's failure or disappointment. Meanwhile, Lythcott-Haims encountered increasing numbers of students who, as a result of hyper-attentive parenting, lacked a strong sense of self and were poorly equipped to handle the demands of adult life."