To the many bewildered parents of today, or parents who have just "copped out" on their responsibility, Joseph and Lois Bird offer some cogent arguments for putting the reins of family authority back where they belong: in the hands of the parents. For parents have not only the right, they argue, but the duty to establish and maintain standards of behavior for their children.
Drawing on their vast experience in family counseling-as well as the upbringing of their nine children-the authors explain the basic principles that govern learning, discipline and achievement; examine some of today is most widespread misconceptions about child rearing; and present a realistic picture of the challenges and pitfalls that every family encounters. Whether discussing sex and the new morality, the drug scene, communications difficulties, defiance and rebellion, or education, the Birds are throughout straightforward in their denunciation of the advice of self-styled "experts," educational theorists, or precocious teenagers who have robbed parents of their God-given rights and responsibilities.