Description

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New York Times bestselling author and host of the podcast Nurture vs Nurture Dr. Wendy Mogel offers an inspiring roadmap for raising self-reliant, ethical, and compassionate children.

In the trenches of a typical day, every parent encounters a child afflicted with ingratitude and entitlement. Parents want so badly to raise self-disciplined, appreciative, and resourceful children who are not spoiled. But how to accomplish this feat? The answer has eluded the best-intentioned individuals who overprotect, overindulge, and overschedule their children's lives.

Sharing stories of everyday parenting problems and examining them through the lens of the Torah, the Talmud, and important Jewish teachings, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee shows parents how to teach children to honor and respect others. Parents will learn to accept that their children are both ordinary and unique, and treasure the power and holiness of the present.

Mogel makes these teachings relevant for any era, and any household of any faith. A unique parenting book, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee is both inspiring and effective in the day-to-day challenge of raising self-reliant children.

About the Author

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Wendy Mogel, PhD, is a practicing clinical psychologist, international public speaker, and the author of Voice Lessons for Parents, the New York Times bestseller The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, and The Blessing of a B Minus. She is also the host of Nurture vs Nurture, a new podcast from Armchair Expert, and lives in Los Angeles. Please visit her website at WendyMogel.com.
 

Praise For…

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“The larger lesson is that children need to learn to fend for themselves…for the professionals who work with children—principals, teacher, camp directors, school psychologists—that lesson is worth the price of Mogel’s paperback.” —The New York Times Magazine

“[Mogel’s] thoughtful observations consistently illuminate and reassure. Impassioned, lyrical, and eminently practical, this inspiring volume is a real treasure.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Writing with great warmth and humor, [Mogel] gives examples from her own family life and those whom she has counseled. Highly recommended for all parenting collections.” —Library Journal

“You don’t have to be religious, you don’t even have to be Jewish, to appreciate Mogel’s philosophy that allowing children to fall down and pick themselves up (with kisses as needed) is the way to raise resilient, self-confident kids.”  —Lisa Belkin, The New York Times

“For anyone who has a child, was a child, or cares about children. Wendy Mogel teaches you how to raise a child to be a good person and not just raise a child to feel good. Great for the Jewish parent, great for the Presbyterian parent, the Buddhist, and even the skeptic.” —Carrie Fisher

A treasure trove of information for parents. Dr. Mogel’s personal and caring touch comes through clearly as she presents practical and useful suggestions for parents. —Jacqueline Haines, Gesell Institute for Human Development

“We like the emphasis this book places on the parents being the center of the wheel of the family and the importance of raising children who appreciate their place in the world and their obligation to be mensches [Yiddish for ‘people of integrity and honor’].” —Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon

“All hail Wendy Mogel’s Overparenting Anon list: Folks, Wendy Mogel got the anti-helicopter parenting movement rolling with her book, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee. Here’s a taste of her fabulous list that I wish I had tattooed (just for the first 20 years or so) on my arm.” —Lenore Skenazy, Creator, FreeRangeKids.com

“Wendy Mogel presents us with one of the finest and most challenging books on parenting to emerge in recent years. In a firm and loving voice, she reminds parents and all those who care about children of the sanctity of parenting. Her blending of Judaism and parenting wisdom jumps off every page. I love her work—both as a rabbi and as a father.” —Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, author of Putting God on the Guest List

“Prophets call on the wisdom of a tradition, its revealed truth, to say out loud what we know but are afraid to utter. Wendy Mogel has issued a prophetic call to good parenting, one laced with psychological insight, practicality, and humor. Her words are themselves a gift of faith and a blessing.” —Peter Cobb, Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education

“While reading The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, I felt that I was being tutored by an elder in the ways of the world. As a Christian minister, I have found that our faiths have that relationship to each other. As a parent, I was encouraged in the very ways that our generation of parents is baffled. You have hit on all of the issues that are difficult: materialism, permissiveness, guardianship against the destruction of humane values, and preservation of sacred time and space in a harried, dislocated world.” —Reverend Robert Thompson, Phillips Exeter Academy