Article November 18, 1996 Issue

Good parenting is on the front line on a lot of fronts

Good parenting is on the front line on a lot of fronts. This is true whether the struggle is called a war on drugs, a march for fatherhood, a campaign to safeguard children from prostitution, a fight to keep teens in school. When victories are counted up, good parenting gets medals. Sometimes the laurels go to a grandmother or a foster dad, a single parent, a dedicated neighbor, or a teacher, as well as to a mother and a father working together. In the meanwhile, parents may have other combat arenas of their own at work or home. If, in the thick of it, a parent seems to be losing the battle, maybe what's needed is to stop the warfare imagery. The articles in this issue offer fresh images for anyone who is working with young people. They put parenting in a different light. Parenting isn't war. It isn't a losing battle, because it isn't an effort to win a battle—whether over the keys to the car, the beans on the plate, or the friends at the party.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

"Dad, can I have the car keys?"