“I’m Not Your Friend, I’m Your Parent” by E.D. Hill
I’m not a perfect parent and no one else is. But…raising 8 kids in a yours, mine and ours environment certainly teaches a person valuable lessons! This book is the ANTIDOTE to permissive parenting. If you ever feel guilty saying “No”… or question your wisdom when your kids say “But everyone else’s mom lets them” …or perhaps wonder if you can be a best friend and a parent to your child, then you need and will LOVE this book. Anyone who watches my program knows I speak from the heart, I’m brutally honest, and it drives me crazy when I have to report about out of control kids with parents who say “I just couldn’t handle them.” Yes, you can. I can. Everyone can. It’s not easy and it takes time but if you’ve decided to become a parent you’ve taken on a job- not an internship where you watch while others raise your children for you. This book defies the so-called experts who tell us that our focus should be on helping a child feel good about themselves…no matter what they do. Through hilarious and colorful stories about my own kids, viewer emails sharing their child rearing experiences, and advice from experts who don’t have a daughter named “Starchild”, you will learn how to be part of a seemingly disappearing group…parents who raise children everyone can be proud of. Panic! That’s what we did when we realized that our child (who can’t find her retainer in the morning even though it’s in her mouth) will be the intellectual force commanding a 3,000-pound driving machine! Somewhere, somehow, the little girl we used to strap into the car seat turned into the young woman in the driver’s seat. Honestly, we tried to forget about it. We knew she was taking driver’s ed, but we decided to pretend it was theoretical instruction rather than practical, which she might actually be tempted to put to use. It didn’t stop the inevitable…. Unfortunately, although the kids don’t beleive it, I was a teen myself at one point. I can totally relate to a teenage driver, especially a female one. Every thought is about boys, parties, and how soon you need to start cramming for the next test, instead of checking the rearview mirror, using the turn signals, and closely watching the speed limit. So, when our daughter assured us that she had paid attention in class, was absolutely trustworthy, and would never have a wreck, we knew better. Sure enough, she was driving out of Starbuck’s early one morning before an exam. (Starbuck’s provides the nutritional elements necessary for a teenage brain to function at test time.) Oops! She forgot to check for oncoming cars. Because of that she had a not-so-friendly encounter with a pick-up truck and the lawnmower attached it it! Well, this being America, the other driver was an unlicensed, uninsured person who spoke very little English. In this case, that was good news. Why? Because he wanted nothing to do with a police report or anything else. Our daughter said, “What about that tail light I knocked off the back of your truck?” Oh that? Not to worry, he said, he really didn’t need it. At this point we realized a teen driving contract was a good idea and I include a contract you can use. The chapter “Driving, Dating, and other Death-Defying Feats” also offers guidelines for determining when your child is ready for dating, how to keep track of them and what they’re doing, and how to set curfews and make sure they are adhered to. Other chapters discuss manners, dress codes, allowances and chores, and drinking and drugs. Much of the book is funny, some of it is scary, but all of it is enlightening. I hope you enjoy it and I am happy to autograph the book if you send it to my office and give me your return address. My office is at 1211 6th Ave. 17th floor NY, NY 10036. |
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