Scaffold Effect

Prevent and counteract the general anxiety and emotional fragility prevalent in children and teenagers today--a new parenting philosophy and strategies that give children the tools to flourish on their own.

Just as sturdy scaffolding is necessary when erecting a building but will come down as the structure grows stable, good parenting provides children with steady, warm, emotional nourishment on the path toward independence. Never-ending parental problem-solving and involvement can have the opposite effect, enabling fragility and anxiety over time.

In The Scaffold Effect, world-renowned child psychiatrist Harold Koplewicz introduces the powerful new and clinically tested idea that this deliberate build-up and then gradual loosening of parental support is the single most effective way to encourage kids to climb higher, try new things and grow from mistakes, and to develop character and strength. Offering the ten building blocks or "planks" of an effective scaffold--from laying a solid foundation to setting limits and minimizing cracks--he expertly guides parents through the strategies they need to raise empowered, capable kids while building parent-child bonds that will survive adolescence and grow stronger into adulthood.