There are times when what a youngster does or says is absolutely baffling to mom or dad. How can 15-year-old Sarah spend hours prepping her hair and not give one second to cleaning her room? Likewise, what's wrong with 10-year-old Mark who knows he shouldn't bully his little brother but does so anyway? Certainly parents want answers, and no one is surprised when a parent falls back on interrogating a child or teen with repeated "Why?" or "What were you thinking?" questions. Unfortunately, searching for the reasons children behave as they do by asking the ubiquitous "Why?" is ultimately unsuccessful and, frankly, irrelevant. "I don't know," "Because," or "I wasn't thinking," is the usual child response, resulting in frustrated parents and youngsters who feel embarrassed, stupid or annoyed. Drs. Charles C. Larson and John B. Dockstader, each with more than thirty years of experience working with parents and youngsters, advise parents to step back from situations such as those described and offer, instead, techniques for evaluating and solving family problems without needing to know "Why?". The authors counsel parents how to determine if a problem exists, who owns the problem and who is best equipped to solve it. Numerous real-life examples are presented to illustrate the problem-solving process and solutions. In Parenting Without Guilt, parents learn not only to solve family problems, but also why the challenges parents and youngsters face today are more demanding than ever before. In addition, parents are guided through each stage of child development, from birth to young adulthood, with attention to typical problems any parent may anticipate. Resources that parents can use to help them resolve family discords are discussed, to include working with educators, clergy, pediatricians, private practitioners and others. With compassion, humor and wisdom gained through practical experience, Drs. Larson and Dockstader offer information and advice that provides any parent with the skills to raise successful children without guilt, anxiety or distress.
About the Author: Dr. Charles C. Larson, the principal author, has logged over forty years of experience specializing in work with children and families: from consultant to State Departments of Education, to clin-ical director of Children and Youth Partial Hospitalization at the Mt. Vernon Center for Community Mental Health, Alexandria, Va., to years as a private practitioner, lecturer, college teacher and au-thor of numerous popular and professional works. A past recipient of the Maryland Psychological Association's award for "Distin-guished Service In The Public Interest," Dr. Larson, in Parenting Without Guilt, expresses his continuing caring and concern for youngsters and families. Dr. John B. Dockstader's similar decades of experience working with families and children includes private practice, teaching, con-sulting and community mental health. In addition, his unique per-spective as a coach, offering his free time to work with High School and Junior High School aged boys and girls within his community, allows Dr. Dockstader to address the everyday concerns of parents and children, as well as their special needs.