Parking Lot Construction: As part of our ongoing work to maintain and improve Central Library, the parking lot will be closed for construction from Tuesday, July 28, to Saturday, August 1. Visit the Central Library page for more details. 

CLOSURE: Central Library will be closed Tuesday, July 21, through Saturday, July 25, while emergency repairs are made to the building’s cooling system. We expect to reopen Monday, July 27.

Notice of Public Meeting: Kalamazoo Public Library Board of Trustees | July 27 | 5:30 pm | Central Library/Van Deusen Room. The packet of information for the meeting can be found on the library’s website. 

Book

The gift of failure : how the best parents learn to let go so their children can succeed

Call Number

  • 649.7 L183 (OSH)

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Edition

First edition.

Publication Information

New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2015]

Physical Description

xxvii, 272 pages ; 24 cm

Summary

Counsels parents of school-aged children on how to overcome tendencies toward overprotectiveness to allow children to develop independence. --Publisher's description.

Contents

  • Introduction: how I learned to let go
  • Failure: a most valuable parenting tool. How failure became a dirty word: a brief history of American parenting ; Why parenting for dependence doesn't work: the power of intrinsic motivation ; Less really is more: parenting for autonomy and competence ; Encouragement from the sidelines: the real connection between praise and self-esteem
  • Learning from failure: teaching kids to turn mistakes into success. Household duties: laundry as an opportunity for competence ; Friends: accomplices to failure and the formation of identity ; Sports: losing as an essential childhood experience ; Middle school: prime time for failure ; High school and beyond: toward real independence
  • Succeeding at school: learning from failure is a team effort. Parent-teacher partnerships: how our fear of failure undermines education ; Homework: how to help without taking over ; Grades: the real value of a low score
  • Conclusion: what I've learned from letting go.

Subjects