Good Influence: Teaching the Wisdom of Adulthood

Young people desperately seek to develop an inner core that will not only rescue them in times of distress, but also help them to define and shape moral convictions, passions, and interests in building a better world. To find this inner coherence, they turn to their parents and teachers ― the adults who are supposed to know them better than they know themselves. But these same adults are often driven and desperate to stay young, and are unclear how to achieve the wisdom and maturity of an elder to put the needs of their children and students above their own.

Young people do not want us to become part of “their” world, according to author Dan Heischman, but they invite us ― and need us ― to be different… to be adults, for them.

This book will help adults understand what young people are searching for, describe how to have a lasting impact on your children’s or student’s development, teach credible models of adulthood, and guide adults towards achieving the passion and wisdom for spiritual mentorship.

Drawing on thirty years of experience with parents, teachers, and students, the author uses stories and sound principles not so much to help bridge the generation gap, but to use the natural difference in maturity as a basis and guideline for more effective communication and connection.

Daniel R. Heischman, executive director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, lives and works in New York City. Earlier positions include executive director of the Council for Religion in Independent Schools (CRIS), assistant headmaster and headmaster of the Upper School at St. Albans School in Washington, DC, and college chaplain at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.