Parents who are tyrannized by “Experts.” Obsessed with perfection. Anxious and harried by their children to the point of misery. Columnist and commentator Betsy Hart sees these parents everywhere, and she faults today’s parenting culture—that is, the accepted dogma that leads parents to put their kids on a pedestal, to shy away from disciplining or even criticizing them when they misbehave, and to generally cede the responsibility for making decisions, large and small, to their children. Hart argues that the consequences of this approach to parenting can be seen on the faces of out-of-control, unhappy, self-absorbed children and teens across our nation–not to mention miserable moms and dads.

A syndicated columnist and mother of four, Hart presents a smart, refreshingly honest, and provocative argument for the crucial (and currently unfashionable) role of parents who lead rather than follow, and who have the strength of character to diverge from the advice of “experts” when their own instinct tells them to.

With insight, compassion, humor and much-needed common sense, It Takes a Parent questions some tightly held cultural assumptions, and shifts the focus back to the role and responsibilities of parents for guiding the character and hearts of their children.

1. Kids Gone Wild
2. Perseverance: Mission Possible
3. I’m On Your Side. (What’s a Parent For, Anyway?)
4. It’s All About Me–Not!
5. Our Children, Our Idols
6. The Self-Delusion of Self-Esteem
7. Misbehavior and Other Matters of the Heart
8. When did “No” Become a Dirty Word?
9. Who Chose to Give kids So Many Choices?
10. Feelings, Wo-oh-oh Feelings. . .
11. Led Zeppelin and the Culture Wars (The Culture can Be Cool Too)
12. To Spank or Not to Spank: And Why It’s Not Really the Right Question Anyway
13. Challenge the Experts for The Sake of Your Child