Endangered : Your Child in a Hostile World

There are more than enough books on parenting. That's the admission Johann Christoph Arnold makes right out of the gate. "A father of eight and grandfather of twenty-four, I have had ample opportunities to experience parenting in action," he writes in the opening lines of Endangered. "Rightly or wrongly, I sense that what today's parents lack most is not expertise or ideas, but daring. They simply lack the courage to put their children first - before their jobs, their houses, their cars, hobbies, and dreams - and to love them for what they are." Endangered, then, is not so much a parenting manual as it is a blueprint for a bold new alternative to the "way things are." It's no secret, Arnold writes, that we live in a culture hostile to children, that society needs to change, education needs revamping, culture needs a moral framework. If our children are ever going to be whole adults, they need an environment in which they can be children. But how, with the pressing demands of life, can we make time and space for our children? How can we protect them from the onslaught of influences and pressures that rob them of their innocence? It's a dilemma every caring mother or father knows. Arnold puts the ball squarely in the parent's court. What are you willing to give for your child? Where have we sacrificed their childhood for our own interests? Why are we so keen to mold them into successful adults and contributing citizens, instead of treasuring and learning from their carefree innocence? "Endangered" challenges and encourages every parent, grandparent, teacher, and policymaker to rediscover and defend the preciousness of childhood. Because in the end, if we are willing to put them first, our children can give us something greater than we could ever give them.