Wendy Mogel, Penguin Putnam, 2001
This small book is accurately described by its subtitle: using Jewish teachings to raise self-reliant children. The author is a clinical psychologist who leads popular parenting workshops in Los Angeles. She describes herself as having no Jewish content to her life at all until a number of years ago, when she began to discover Jewish teaching. She and her family have become somewhat more observant over the last ten years and she has clearly spent much time integrating Jewish ideas into her practice. She has really excellent advice about all the issues with which modern parents grapple. She tackles respect for parents, motivation at schools, overindulgence, children’s chores and responsibilities in a very sensitive and engaging manner. She has a strong Jewish approach, which she illustrates with quotes from the Talmud and Chassidic literature. Her Jewish material is largely accurate; the author’s occasional inaccuracies are certainly not enough to spoil the book. I learned a lot from her.
The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee
