Walking the Parenting Tightrope: Raising Kids Without Losing Your Balance
by Russ Robinson
Published by Baker Books
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
Being a good parent is a difficult and often daunting task. It is a 24/7/365 job that requires much and is done without training. There are constant tensions that can unbalance the family or at the least, individual members.
In Walking the Parenting Tightrope: Raising Kids Without Losing Your Balance, author Russ Robinson negotiates the labyrinth of family life. He has adopted a business model called 'polarity management' and applies it to the job of parenting. He believes that in families there are tensions pulling/pushing at each other. Rather than choosing between sides he recommends 'going for' a balance between extremes.
Robinson describes the six common parenting issues as:
- The Training Challenge
- The Discipline Challenge
- The Spiritual Challenge
- The Adolescent Challenge
- The Financial Challenge
- The Interdependence Challenge
Robinson, through his and others personal stories, scripture, and small-group exercises, helps people navigate the tricky terrain of parenting. There are no easy answers given. But there is thoughtful advice and the encouragement to examine issues, share issues with others, and balance parental responses. Don't go for the extreme, as that what will fail.
Armchair Interview says: Robinson's book is interesting and enlightening. It is not however, a manual for decision making. Reality tells us that while we want someone to tell us what to do, each family is different and requires work in balancing tension. What works in one family, with a particular family may not work for others. Know that before you read the book and commit to doing the work. There is no quick fix in balancing family tension but Robinson's book is a good guide.