
Unconditional Parenting
by Alfie Kohn
Most parenting is conditional love. Kohn shows you what the alternative looks like.
For you if
you are ready to examine whether the love you give your child has conditions attached that you haven't fully acknowledged
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Kohn's companion to Punished by Rewards, focused specifically on parenting. The central argument: most parenting — including progressive parenting — is conditional. We give love, attention, and approval when children behave the way we want and withdraw them when they don't. Kohn argues this produces children who are anxious, compliant, and dependent on external validation. The alternative is unconditional love that is not contingent on behavior — combined with a genuine commitment to working with children rather than doing things to them. The most challenging parenting book on this shelf and the one that most honestly asks parents to examine their own motives.
Where This Book Lives
- Themes
- parenting
Same pattern, different era
Different time, different place. The same thing keeps happening.
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