Letting Go

Demie Kurz is a Research Affiliate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the former Co-Director of the Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies Program at Penn and a Co-founder of the Carework Network, an international organization of researchers, policymakers, and advocates involved in various domains of care work. Her books and articles have focused on challenges facing contemporary American families and social policies that would better support families.

In this thoughtful, compelling, and deeply interesting work, Demie Kurtz illuminates how mothers face sudden and unexpected demands from their children entering adolescence. While many have emphasized the importance of parental control, she illuminates the power of children's demands as mothers decide they need to renegotiate their relationships with their children to 'let go.' Since mothers do not have a road map of what to do, the process is fraught. The book is a major contribution and will be of interest to a wide array of readers in psychology, sociology, family studies, and of course mothers in this life moment. Highly recommended!

• Chapter 1: Letting Go: An Introduction Chapter 2: Becoming Adolescents and Pulling Away Chapter 3: Keeping Teens Safe at a Time of Risk Chapter 4: Promoting School Success and Preparing for Postsecondary Education Chapter 5: Parenting Young Adults and Letting Go Chapter 6: Conclusion