Marano, Hara Estroff

Explains what causes kids to be "picked on," ostracized, or physically bullied, describes passive and aggressive victims, and provides guidance for parents in instilling confidence--and, thereby, social competence--in their kids.

Argues that the over-involvement of parents in the lives of their children is resulting in a generation of wimps, looking at how parents in affluent nations around the world have become so intent on smoothing the paths of their kids that they are depriving young people of the opportunity to learn and develop coping strategies and delaying their entry into adulthood.