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Worried All The Time
Worried All the Time: Overparenting in an Age of Anxiety and How to Stop It was published by Free Press in May 2003. It came out in paper with a different subtitle (Worried All the Time: Rediscovering the Joy in Parenting in an Age of Anxiety) in August 2004.
Some selected reviews:
Amazon.com
Psychologist David Anderegg has written a fascinating book about the worries that wake parents up at night. His confrontational premise is, "Worry reveals very much about the parent and very little about the child." Rather than view a child through the prism of a parent's anxiety, Anderegg focuses parents on their child's unique temperament. He surveys our culture and child-development literature, asking searching, nettlesome questions. For example, why do Americans feel so invaded by their own cultural products? Among his targets are parents who read too much and those who view their children's college acceptance as a parental final exam. Each chapter outlines how parents may be overreacting to issues such as school violence and offers insightful ideas for parents to try at home. Anderegg is at his best in a brilliant chapter about drugs. Here, he explores the unresolved authority issues of boomer parents who are grieving about their current "uncool" state. Although the subject of sexuality is curiously underplayed, Anderegg's prickly ideas and practical suggestions will gain this book a wide, well-deserved readership. --Barbara Mackoff
From Booklist
Parents today worry more than parents in the past and worry more than is necessary, according to Anderegg, a psychology professor and therapist. In his practice, he has observed the phenomenon of overparenting, which he defines as parents obsessively overthinking, overworrying, and overacting, "trying to make perfect decisions every single time, in a world that is much more indeterminate and forgiving than most parents believe." Anderegg explores why, in a time of prosperity, so many parents are worried about their children. Though it is the nature of parents to worry, Anderegg maintains that parents have fallen victim to exaggerated reports in the media that constantly link the words children and crisis. He then focuses on parents' specific worries--overscheduling children, substitute care, overexposure to media culture, school violence--and lists some exercises parents can try to reduce their worrying. He concludes by exploring the effect of parental worry on the broader society. Parents will appreciate this accessible and helpful resource. Vanessa Bush
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