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Hold on to Your Kids

Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
Dec 28, 2016flaneur rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Some part of this book's thesis is, of course, valid, but to the scientifically literate mind, it is very problematic. Neufeld uses very little support (and for the most part none at all) for his claims, some of which are not only extreme but actually run counter to established research. I fear the effect this book has when not consumed critically. It is fear-mongering and emotionally appealing, but it has little to stand on. Neufeld has never published anything in a scientific journal (that I could find), and this should ring alarm bells. If he had been honest about this book being based on his subjective practice and as having little scientific foundation, it would have been more palatable - though still problematic. However, he repeatedly states opinions as facts without any regard for the consequences of such over-confidence. The book also offers very little in the way of practical advice, hiding behind the idea that such a thing is not possible when organically applying attachment principles. Better to read the peer-reviewed research on parenting and attachment than to rely on a book filled with pseudo-science, false claims, and helicopter parenting fallacies.