Raising a Successful Child

Sandra Burt and Linda Perlis produce and host a half-hour public service radio program, "Parents' Perspective." Linda received both her B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Maryland. Sandy earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, her Master of Arts in Teaching from Yale University, and pursued post-graduate studies in Human Development at the University of Maryland. They have raised seven children who have so far earned degrees from Harvard, Oberlin, Brown, Stanford, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan; a PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is in the works. They both live in the Washington DC area.

This book is based on the belief that all children have talent and potential -- and so do all parents. To the familiar four talents that most parents try to bring out in their children -- artistic, musical, athletic, and academic -- "Raising a Successful Child" adds six more: empathic listening, idea generation, natural leadership, natural comic ability, spatial aptitude, and negotiation skills. The authors teach parents how children function so the parents themselves can identify their children's strengths. The activities and exercises guide parents on a journey that leads to discovering each child's many innate talents. "Raising a Successful Child" shows parents how to support their children's interests and nurture their strengths while opening them to new experiences and avoiding unhealthy parental pressure. The book makes parents active partners in helping talented children reach their full potential.