Of Course I Love You... Now Go to Your Room!

Book excerpt: Top family therapist Diane Levy gives clear parenting guidelines in this bestselling title. This book presents a modern approach to parenting. Diane Levy believes children must be taught to experience and handle their emotions and they must learn self-discipline. She also believes that it takes about twenty years to raise a child. Within that twenty years, you will have taught - or led your child towards the teaching of all the skills they will need to function in the world away from home. Levy's approach to parenting has two main tenets: Emotional Support and Limit Setting. The first responsibility of parents is to give children emotional support so that they will have the courage to have the experiences and do the learning that they need to become emotionally independent adults. The second responsibility is to set suitable boundaries and expectations so that they can safely tread the path from undisciplined babies to self-disciplined adults. Diane Levy uses her approach to parenting in the context of modern society. In many families both parents work, and many parents work and raise children single-handedly; in order to establish a good family structure clear boundaries must exist between parent and child. She discusses specific issues, such as sibling rivalry, bullying and nasty habits. Readers may dip into the book to find immediate help for problems with sleeping, eating and toilet training. Sex education and strategies for coping with teenagers are also covered; with the last part of the book summing up simple parenting strategies.