PRAISE FOR THE PARENT COMPASS

“At a time when parents are bombarded with so much contradictory advice about their children’s education that it’s a wonder they can even breathe (let alone think), The Parent Compass offers counsel that is wise, calm, comprehensive, and most important of all, well-informed. These are experts you can trust.”

—William Deresiewicz, New York Times bestselling author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life

“Superbly researched with anecdotes that bring parent etiquette to life—a phrase that I just love! Fair warning, expect to have your hand metaphorically ‘slapped’ now and again, as it is a necessary part of learning how to best support our teens. Fortunately, this is done in kindness with the insights of how to do better for the overall well-being of your teenager. Follow their advice and you will have a healthy teenager; better yet, ten years from now, you’ll have a healthy and contributing young adult.”

—Dr. Mike Riera, author of Staying Connected to Your Teenager and head of school, Brentwood School

“The Parent Compass helps parents resist the urge to hover and microman-age, and guides them to reflect deeply on their actions and make important changes to support their teen’s long-term well-being and success.”

—Dr. Denise Pope, senior lecturer, Stanford University and co-founder, Challenge Success

“This is the book that every parent needs. The Parent Compass helps us understand how to appropriately engage with our teens and how to parent with more awareness. The pages are brimming with powerful advice about navigating the parenting waters.”

—Tiffany Shlain, author of 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week and Emmy-nominated filmmaker

“At a time when our love for our children is being contorted into actions we may no longer recognize as parents, this book offers a compassionate but firm user’s manual for how to navigate some of the most treacherous years of a young person’s life. Parenting is the most difficult role in society today, bar none: the sense of scarcity and abundance of fear have turned us upside down in many ways. The Parent Compass is the guide that will help us to stop snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and bring us back to principles. And when the principles are clear, the decisions are easy.”

—Than Healy, head of school, Menlo School

“It’s hard enough for today’s teens to feel constant pressure from the outside world to knock it out of the park further than everyone else around them, but when parents overstep boundaries by writing their kid’s papers, speaking for them, and micromanaging their lives into the ground, that’s crossing a line. The Parent Compass is a truly necessary resource that helps keep parents in check when the urge strikes to helicopter and bulldoze and interfere in the parts of our teenage kid’s lives that should be up to them to manage.”

—Lisa Sugarman, nationally syndicated columnist, radio show host, speaker, and author of How to Raise Perfectly Imperfect Kids— And Be OK with It

“Parenting teenagers is hard work, plain and simple. In an era where common sense seems to have disappeared and our parental anxieties rule the day, The Parent Compass is just what families need to help guide them through the forest of adolescence. The Parent Compass is an excellent tool to reassure parents to trust their instincts and ignore the drop-off line gossip and cocktail party hysteria. The advice it provides will allow all of us to more thoughtfully and lovingly parent our children while still preparing them to be healthy adults who can make it in the world.”

—Chris Mazzola, head of school, The Branson School

“This really is a remarkable book. It strikes a balance between being an involved parent and being a helicopter parent, between a clear-on-the-sidelines parent and everything in the trenches; it saves the day.”

—Brian Rogers, faculty, Webb Schools, and author of The Whole of the Moon

“This is a very timely and important book . . . for parents . . . [and] the landscape is ever changing. The Parent Compass provides great advice and guidance from experts of all types.”

—Michael Dennin, professor of physics and astronomy and Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, UC—Irvine

“Finally—a book that calls out what we know to be true about how overly involved parents can negatively impact a child’s development, while offering simple ways to implement practical advice on how to help our children thrive during their teenage years. A must read for any parent who wants an emotionally healthy, confident, independent child!”

—Jill Quigley, principal, middle and upper schools, TVT Community Day School

“This book offers a refreshing look at current foibles of all involved in the educational process and provides common sense suggestions for better parenting.”

—Linda Winrow, high school teacher and educator for nearly fifty years