Culture

Great piece by Jeff Selingo. The opening: An article in this week’s Washington Post nicely summarized a new book on the failings of helicopter parenting, especially when it comes to preparing kids for college. But parents shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for why college students seem incapable of taking care of themselves these days. In the past decade, college campuses have turned into one big danger-free zone, where students live in a bubble and are asked to take few, if any, risks in their education. Read the whole thing. It's excellent. Students need objective, regular, and (when … [Read more...] about Colleges Coddle Students, Too

Boundless just published an article I wrote for them on living with parents as a young adult--the good, the bad, how to make it work. Here's the opening: So it happened. You thought you'd be on your own by now, but you're not. Whether you're trying to land a steady job, get out of debt, or finish college on the eight-year plan, if you're living with your parents as a 20-something, you're not alone. More than a third of 18 to 31 year olds are living with their parents, according to the Current Population Survey. Maybe you can't move out — and shouldn't. Your parents' health or finances are … [Read more...] about Living With Your Parents: How to Make It Work

Jessica Lahey's new book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed, looks superb. It's a theme I tried to hit hard in my preparing teens for college book. An excerpt of Lahey's book recently appeared in the pages of The Atlantic. Here's an excerpt of the excerpt: The truth—for this parent and so many others—is this: Her child has sacrificed her natural curiosity and love of learning at the altar of achievement, and it’s our fault. Marianna’s parents, her teachers, society at large—we are all implicated in this crime against learning. From her … [Read more...] about When Success Leads to Failure