In Parent-Babble, Rosemond asserts that America has been in the throes of an ever-deepening child-rearing crisis since the 1970s, and he explains how parents have moved away from the child-rearing basics of the 1950s and 1960s to focus on raising children with "high self-esteem."
But what could be wrong with high self-esteem? Plenty, according to Rosemond. High self-esteem is associated with anti-social behavior and little regard for others. In addition, children reared on postmodern psychological parenting theories are 10 times more likely to experience a serious emotional setback by the age of 16 compared with children who grew up in the 50s and 60s. In Parent-Babble, Rosemond deconstructs the faulty theories, points out the "experts" who have led parents astray, and calls for a return to values, a return to civility, and a return to raising healthy, happy, and productive adults.