Taking Parenting Public

Taking Parenting Public makes a compelling case that parenting has become dangerously undervalued in America today. It calls for a new investment—both personal and public—into the work of raising children and argues that we are all 'stockholders' in the next generation. With a foreword by Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Cornel West, Taking Parenting Public crosses boundaries to bring together thinkers from diverse fields spanning the political spectrum. It features contributions from distinguished experts in economics, political science, public policy, child development, public health, history, and the media. While recent books have focused on working mothers or absent fathers, Taking Parenting Public is the first volume to take a comprehensive look at the common struggles of parents. These essays go beyond the usual calls for more and better child care and other strategies of 'parent replacement' to offer fresh ideas for 'parent replenishment,' ways of putting mothers and fathers back into the lives of their children not only as economic providers, but also as emotional and moral providers. For more information visit the National Parenting Association Web site.

Taking Parenting Public makes a compelling case that parenting has become dangerously undervalued in America today. It calls for a new investment—both personal and public—into the work of raising children and argues that we are all _stockholders_ in the next generation. With a foreword by Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Cornel West, Taking Parenting Public crosses boundaries to bring together thinkers from diverse fields spanning the political spectrum. It features contributions from distinguished experts in economics, political science, public policy, child development, public health, history, and the media. While recent books have focused on working mothers or absent fathers, Taking Parenting Public is the first volume to take a comprehensive look at the common struggles of parents. These essays go beyond the usual chest-beating about busy parents torn between work and family demands to suggest bold solutions. Instead of the typical call for _parent replacement_—more child care, more after school programs and more mentors—the contributors offer fresh strategies for _parent replenishment,_ ways to put mothers and fathers back into the lives of their children not only as economic providers, but also as emotional and moral providers.

Sylvia Ann Hewlett is founder and chairman of the National Parenting Association. Her books include A Lesser Life, When the Bough Breaks, and co-author with Cornel West of The War Against Parents. Nancy Rankin is the former executive director of the National Parenting Association. Cornel West is the Alphonse Fletcher Jr. University Professor at Harvard University. He is the author of numerous articles and books including Prophetic Fragments, Race Matters, and The War Against Parents, co-authored with Sylvia Hewlett.