Child Versus Parent: Some Chapters on the Irrepressible Conflict in the Home

The author analyzes persistent tensions between parents and children, arguing many clashes arise from propinquity, environment, or intellectual differences rather than from the parental-filial relation itself. He examines unmet parental responsibilities, the art and obligation of giving, and the psychological roots of irrepressible conflicts, contrasts wars that are not wars with genuine revolt, and considers democratic household arrangements, reverence for children, and the possession impulse. Special chapters address the condition and ideals of Jewish homes, the role of step- or substitute caregivers, and the virtues that can preserve and ennoble domestic life.