Synopses & Reviews
Have iPads replaced conversation at the dinner table? What do infants observe when their parents are on their smartphones?
Should you be your child's Facebook friend?
As the focus of family has turned to the glow of the screen—children constantly texting their friends, parents working online around the clock—everyday life is undergoing a massive transformation. Easy availability to the Internet and social media has erased the boundaries that protect children from the unsavory aspects of adult life. Parents often feel they are losing a meaningful connection with their children. Children are feeling lonely and alienated. The digital world is here to stay, but what are families losing with technology's gain?
As renowned clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair explains, families are in crisis around this issue, and even more so than they realize. Not only do chronic tech distractions have deep and lasting effects, but children desperately need parents to provide what tech cannot: close, significant interactions with the adults in their lives. Drawing on real-life stories from her clinical work with children and parents, and her consulting work with educators and experts across the country, Steiner-Adair offers insights and advice that can help parents achieve greater under-standing, authority, and confidence as they come up against the tech revolution unfolding in their living rooms.
We all know that deep connection with the people we love means everything to us. It's time to look with fresh eyes and an open mind at the disconnection we are experiencing from our extreme device dependence. It's never too late to put down the iPad and come to the dinner table.
Review
“In her insightful and compelling new book, Catherine Steiner-Adair reveals how technology and the Internet are fragmenting American families, leaving parents confused and children lonely. Put down your smartphone and read this book!” Michael Thompson, PhD, co-author of < i=""> Raising Cain <> and author of < i=""> Homesick and Happy <>
Review
“A riveting, hugely important book that every parent will want to read. . . . A great book, rooted in massive research, told in vivid, charming, unforgettable narrative, conveying a message of the utmost relevance today.” Edward M. Hallowell, MD, author of < i=""> The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness <>
Review
“This is a must read for parents and educators. Parents will embrace Steiner-Adairs step-by-step solutions, focused on building deeper and more meaningful family relationships; teachers will better understand the need to manage the double-edged sword of technology as a tool for learning.” Nanci Z. Kauffman, Head of School, Castilleja School, Palo Alto, CA
Review
“Catherine Steiner Adair with great wisdom, and compassion for our confusion, helps lead us out of this technological thicket. . . . A mandatory read for our own sake as well as the sake of our children.” Madeline Levine, PhD, author of < i=""> Teach Your Children Well <> and < i=""> The Price of Privilege <>
Review
“I absolutely love this book. Dr. Steiner-Adair offers wonderful suggestions for dealing with issues the new tech world has brought upon us--all based on the reassuring premise that the family shapes a childs brain, mind, body and soul in unique human ways that technology cant replace.” Susan Ginsberg EdD, author of < i=""> Family Wisdom: The 2000 Most Important Things Ever Said about Parenting, Children and Family Life <>
Review
“Finally, a book that comprehensively answers the question parents everywhere have been struggling with: How to raise happy, creative, caring kids in the age of screens? The Big Disconnect is not just a smart book, its a very, very wise one.” William Powers, author of < i=""> Hamlet's Blackberry <>
Review
“In a book that should be required reading for all parents, Steiner-Adair examines the extraordinarily negative impact of the digital revolution on parents and children. . . . [A] highly readable study.” < i=""> Publishers Weekly <> (starred review)
Review
“Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair has her finger on the pulse of the social and emotional challenges kids face in todays 24/7 media culture. Take her insight to heart. As parents, we can help our kids walk the thin line between the perils and possibilities of digital life.” James P. Steyer, CEO and Founder, Common Sense Media
Review
“An important guide to an occasionally overlooked aspect of modern parenting.” < i=""> Kirkus Reviews <>
Review
“Do your kids a favor and read this important book.” < i=""> Christian Science Monitor <>
Review
“The Big Disconnect offers terrific parenting advice that transcends technology, tackling issues like self-identity, navigating friendships and sex. Its message is not exclusive to kids, but aimed at every family member: stay connected to people and nature as often as possible.” < i=""> Associated Press <>
Review
“Ms. Steiner-Adairs book can be eloquent about the need to ration our childrens computer time. . . . Her summary of what to say to your kids - its on Page 191- is so good, so State of the Unionlike, that I took a photo of it with my iPhone.” Dwight Garner, < i=""> New York Times <>
Review
“Those who havent spent much time ‘IRL with their kids lately will recognize their own households in the pages of The Big Disconnect. . . . [Catherine Steiner-Adair] wants us to reclaim the immemorial rhythms of the hearth and shield our children from the...digital age.” < i=""> Wall Street Journal <>
Review
“Psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair says tech-and self-absorption disappoints and disregards our children.” < i=""> USA Today <>
Review
“This riveting piece of journalism . . . chronicles how new technology has disrupted family life. Parents pacify infants with iPhones, toddlers play violent games and pre-teens are sexting. The book offers no easy answers but gently encourages all of us who lack the discipline to unplug.” < i=""> Wall Street Journal <> , Best Nonfiction of 2013
Review
“This is an unsettling but necessary book, confirming what parents probably already know but do their best not to think about. . . . Steiner-Adair provides helpful suggestions for parents seeking to limit tech time and re-engage with their children.” < i=""> New York Times Book Review <>
Review
"Scott Sampson is one of the leaders of the emerging new nature movement, which places great focus on human health and well-being, particularly for children. In
How to Raise a Wild Child, he combines an elegant testimony to the power of the natural world with practical tips for anyone who cares for children. In a time when the connection between humans and the rest of nature is most vulnerable, Scott offers parents and teachers a book of encouragement and knowledge, and to children, the priceless gift of wonder."
—Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle
“We all know by now that nature is good for kids, but crossing the threshold into the natural world can seem daunting and overwhelming. Don’t despair, because Scott Sampson has provided us with an instruction manual on how to help our children fall in love with nature. With wisdom, intellect, and empathy, he provides us with a bounty of simple yet profound ways we can enter this natural world, oftentimes starting in our very own backyards. And if we can take the first step of simply going outside with them, he will help us with the rest.”
—Lili Taylor, actor, mom, and board member of the American Birding Association
"Scott Sampson makes a powerful case that connecting people with nature is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Becoming a nature mentor to the kids in our lives is critical not just for the health of youngsters, but also for the places we love and live in. In the end, saving nature—indeed navigating a sustainable path into the future—demands that we find paths to help kids connect and fall in love with nature. With How to Raise a Wild Child, Sampson offers us a map to help us on this journey. And the best part is that we're going to have a lot of fun along the way!"
—Dr. M. Sanjayan, host of PBS’ Earth: A New Wild and senior scientist and executive vice president at Conservation International
Synopsis
Clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair takes an in-depth look at how the Internet and the digital revolution are profoundly changing childhood and family dynamics, and offers solutions parents can use to successfully shepherd their children through the technological wilderness.
As the focus of the family has turned to the glow of the screen--children constantly texting their friends or going online to do homework; parents working online around the clock--everyday life is undergoing a massive transformation. Easy access to the Internet and social media has erased the boundaries that protect children from damaging exposure to excessive marketing and the unsavory aspects of adult culture. Parents often feel they are losing a meaningful connection with their children. Children are feeling lonely and alienated. The digital world is here to stay, but what are families losing with technology's gain?
As renowned clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair explains, families are in crisis as they face this issue, and even more so than they realize. Not only do chronic tech distractions have deep and lasting effects but children also desperately need parents to provide what tech cannot: close, significant interactions with the adults in their lives. Drawing on real-life stories from her clinical work with children and parents and her consulting work with educators and experts across the country, Steiner-Adair offers insights and advice that can help parents achieve greater understanding, authority, and confidence as they engage with the tech revolution unfolding in their living rooms.
Synopsis
Wall Street Journal Best Nonfiction Pick; Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year
Clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair takes an in-depth look at how the Internet and the digital revolution are profoundly changing childhood and family dynamics, and offers solutions parents can use to successfully shepherd their children through the technological wilderness.
As the focus of the family has turned to the glow of the screen--children constantly texting their friends or going online to do homework; parents working online around the clock--everyday life is undergoing a massive transformation. Easy access to the Internet and social media has erased the boundaries that protect children from damaging exposure to excessive marketing and the unsavory aspects of adult culture. Parents often feel they are losing a meaningful connection with their children. Children are feeling lonely and alienated. The digital world is here to stay, but what are families losing with technology's gain?
As renowned clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair explains, families are in crisis as they face this issue, and even more so than they realize. Not only do chronic tech distractions have deep and lasting effects but children also desperately need parents to provide what tech cannot: close, significant interactions with the adults in their lives. Drawing on real-life stories from her clinical work with children and parents and her consulting work with educators and experts across the country, Steiner-Adair offers insights and advice that can help parents achieve greater understanding, authority, and confidence as they engage with the tech revolution unfolding in their living rooms.
Synopsis
By the beloved and wildly popular host of the PBS Kids show Dinosaur Train, here is the book every parent needs: a rousing call to connect our kids to the natural world, filled with tips and advice.
Synopsis
From the beloved host of PBS Kids’ Dinosaur Train, an easy-to-use guide for parents, teachers, and others looking to foster a strong connection between children and nature, complete with engaging activities, troubleshooting advice, and much more American children spend four to seven minutes a day playing outdoors—90 percent less time than their parents did. Yet recent research indicates that experiences in nature are essential for healthy growth. Regular exposure to nature can help relieve stress, depression, and attention deficits. It can reduce bullying, combat illness, and boost academic scores. Most critical of all, abundant time in nature seems to yield long-term benefits in kids’ cognitive, emotional, and social development.
Yet teachers, parents, and other caregivers lack a basic understanding of how to engender a meaningful, lasting connection between children and the natural world. How to Raise a Wild Child offers a timely and engaging antidote, showing how kids’ connection to nature changes as they mature.
Distilling the latest research in multiple disciplines, Sampson reveals how adults can help kids fall in love with nature—enlisting technology as an ally, taking advantage of urban nature, and instilling a sense of place along the way.
About the Author
Catherine Steiner-Adair, EdD, is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist, school consultant, author, and speaker. She maintains a private practice in Massachusetts, is a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an associate psychologist at McLean Hospital, and speaks worldwide to numerous audiences, including educators, health professionals, PTAs, religious groups, corporations, and nonprofit organizations.