Hold on to Your Kids

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • This parenting classic—as relevant today as it was when it was first published—shines a light on one of the most misunderstood trends of our time: peers, social media, and on-screen culture replacing parents in the lives of children, and what parents can do about it. With a new chapter addressing mental health in school-aged kids since the pandemic. Children take their lead from their friends: being ‘cool’ matters more than anything else. Shaping values, identity, and codes of behaviour, peer groups are often far more influential than parents. But this situation is far from natural, and it can be dangerous—it undermines family cohesion, interferes with healthy development, and fosters a hostile and sexualized youth culture. Children end up becoming conformist, anxious, and alienated. In Hold On to Your Kids, acclaimed physician and bestselling author Gabor Maté joins forces with psychologist Gordon Neufeld to pinpoint the causes of this breakdown and offer practical advice on how to ‘reattach’ to your children, make children feel safe and understood, and earn back your children's loyalty and love. This updated edition also addresses the unprecedented parenting challenges posed by the rise of digital devices and social media. By helping to reawaken our instincts, Maté and Neufeld empower parents to be what nature intended: a true source of enrichment, security, and warmth for their children.