


Paperback
Published: 2nd November 2001
ISBN: 9780738206219
Number Of Pages: 347
In 1991, the National Commission on Children called attention to the fact that a small but significant number of parents are failing to fulfill their basic childrearing responsibilities. Dr. Jack C. Westman, an esteemed child advocate, systematically connects the damage caused to children by the failings of those parents to our society's educational, health, safety, and economic problems. A small fraction of the population has reduced public safety to unacceptable levels of danger and sapped the productivity of the nation. These dangerous and dependent individuals are increasing in numbers that drain public funds and erode the productivity of our workforce.
Introduction | p. 1 |
The Eroding Quality of Life in the United States | p. 7 |
The Decline of Education, Health, Safety, and the Economy | p. 12 |
Why Have We Not "Drawn the Line"? | p. 23 |
The Proximate Cause: Incompetent Parenting | p. 27 |
Defining Competent Parenting | p. 28 |
Defining Incompetent Parenting | p. 30 |
The Relationship between Poverty and Incompetent Parenting | p. 34 |
The Benefits to Society of Competent Parenting | p. 41 |
The Role of Affectionate Attachment Bonds in Citizenship | p. 42 |
Competent Parenting Prevents Illness | p. 45 |
Competent Parenting Prevents Social Problems | p. 48 |
Obstacles to Forming Affectionate Attachment Bonds | p. 50 |
The Effects of Incompetent Parenting | p. 53 |
Incompetent Parenting and Habitual Criminals | p. 55 |
Incompetent Parenting and Welfare Dependency | p. 69 |
Incompetent Parenting and Homeless Children | p. 73 |
Incompetent Parenting and Public Health | p. 74 |
Incompetent Parenting and National Productivity | p. 78 |
The Costs of Incompetent Parenting | p. 83 |
The Costs of Habitual Criminals | p. 85 |
The Costs of Intergenerational Welfare Dependency | p. 91 |
The Costs of Child Abuse and Neglect Services | p. 92 |
Losses in National Productivity | p. 93 |
The Total Cost of Incompetent Parenting | p. 95 |
Prioritizing Risks to Our Society | p. 96 |
The Tolerance of Incompetent Parenting | p. 99 |
The Impact of Individualism on Social Values | p. 100 |
The Impact of Individualism on Social Structures | p. 106 |
The Disparagement of Parenting | p. 111 |
Society's Fragmented Reactions to Social Problems | p. 116 |
The Political Crisis--Recoil Response | p. 118 |
The Elevated Threshold of Deviancy | p. 120 |
Juvenile Ageism | p. 123 |
The Dynamics of Prejudice and Discrimination | p. 125 |
Elder Ageism | p. 126 |
The Forms of Juvenile Ageism | p. 127 |
Areas of Progress | p. 141 |
An Antidote to Juvenile Ageism: Children's Civil Rights | p. 145 |
Authentic Child Advocacy | p. 146 |
A Child's Right to Competent Parenting | p. 149 |
The Civil Rights of Children | p. 150 |
The Legal Rights of Children | p. 153 |
Cultural Expectations of Parents and Children | p. 159 |
A Parent's Right to Be Competent | p. 163 |
Parenthood as a Developmental Process | p. 165 |
The Developmental Readiness for Parenthood | p. 166 |
The Dilemma of Adolescent Pregnancy | p. 174 |
The Dilemma of Adolescent Parenthood | p. 180 |
Social Policy and Teenage Parents | p. 191 |
Social Policy and Parenting | p. 196 |
A New Way of Thinking about Children | p. 199 |
"Little Picture" Thinking | p. 200 |
"Big Picture" Thinking | p. 203 |
Social Values versus Cultural Values | p. 206 |
Supporting Competent Parenting as a National Policy | p. 210 |
The Societal Goal of Competent Citizenship | p. 212 |
A National Parenting Policy | p. 215 |
The Concept of Parent Licensure | p. 218 |
A Multisystem Approach to Improving Parental Competence | p. 220 |
The Precedents for Licensing Parents | p. 228 |
Childless and Childrearing Marriages | p. 236 |
Procedures for Licensing Parents | p. 238 |
Alternatives to Licensing Parents | p. 244 |
The Rationale for Licensing Parents | p. 245 |
Arguments against Licensing Parents | p. 249 |
The Imposition of Majority Standards | p. 251 |
Violating the Sacred Parent--Child Relationship | p. 252 |
Licensing Would Foster Parent Blaming | p. 254 |
Restricting the Right of Adults to Freedom of Action | p. 255 |
Licensing Would Accompany Financial Child Support | p. 256 |
Fear of According Adult Rights to Children | p. 257 |
Enforcing Conformity in Childrearing | p. 258 |
The Political Rejection of the Family | p. 259 |
The Maturing Influence of Childrearing | p. 260 |
Objectionable Prior Restraint | p. 261 |
The Fallibility of Prediction and Education | p. 262 |
The Unfeasibility of Administration | p. 263 |
Licensing Would Replace Helping Parents | p. 264 |
Insufficient Adoption Opportunities | p. 265 |
Research Is Inconclusive | p. 267 |
Education, Training, and Clinical Services Are Sufficient | p. 268 |
Favored Legal Treatment Is Undesirable | p. 269 |
Society's Need for Incompetence | p. 271 |
Drastic Changes in Public Policy Do Not Occur | p. 272 |
Are These Arguments Obstacles or Hurdles? | p. 273 |
Conclusion: Will the United States Value Parenting? | p. 275 |
The Social Costs of Incompetent Parenting | p. 276 |
Our Society Must Value Parenting | p. 278 |
Social Welfare Is Not Enough | p. 280 |
Parenting Can Be Self-Fulfilling | p. 281 |
The United States Needs a National Parenting Policy | p. 282 |
Global Leadership in Human Rights for Children | p. 284 |
Appendix | p. 287 |
Notes | p. 289 |
Index | p. 337 |
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780738206219
ISBN-10: 0738206210
Audience:
Professional
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 347
Published: 2nd November 2001
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 21.08 x 14.07
x 2.39
Weight (kg): 0.47
Edition Number: 1