In every corner of contemporary culture childhood innocence is under assault. The very idea of parental protectiveness has been overwhelmed by relentless pressure from a society that seems perversely determined to expose its young to every perversion and peril in an effort to "prepare" them for a harsh, dangerous future.
     From the bleakest ghettos to the most privileged suburbs, families face the same fears. We worry not only about what might happen to our kids on the way to school, but about what values they will learn once they get there. We're concerned not only with the threat of physical assault, but with the emotional and moral bettering that our children endure from peers and the media. In short, we feel powerless to counteract the implacable social forces that push our own flesh and blood to grow up too soon -- and too cynical. We may shower youngsters with every sort of material blessing and glitzy diversions, but we can't seem to give them the greatest gift of all - a secure, optimistic, and reasonably sheltered childhood.
     Nihilistic messages that frighten and corrupt now come at our kids from so many directions at once that childhood innocence doesn't stand a chance.
     But that is what this book is all about: letting parent s see that they can resist the popular but destructive philosophy they're unthinkingly buying into -- and ultimately perpetrating. We hope to sound the alarm that families, teachers, clerics and neighbors are often unwittingly attacking something precious, killing something irreplaceable. And in killing innocence, they could actually set up a self-fulfilling prophecy, creating the ominous world they try to prepare their youngsters to survive.
     In the first section of this book, "The Assault," we describe the four ubiquitous factors that, under the banner of benevolent preparation, work to destroy innocence. They include the media, schools, peers, and parents themselves. These factors weave the fabric of every child's life; they are so fundamental as to be the sources of the child's personality ? yet in our present national climate they may actually choke off youngsters' healthy development and stuff them with fears, terrifying scenarios, and pessimism about the future . . .
     In the second section of the book, "The Defense," we offer parents concrete means to counteract the assault and guard the three basic components of childhood innocence: security, a sense of wonder, and optimism. At the moment, our society seems to be obsessed with the importance of "self-esteem," but we argue that as significant as it may be for children to believe that "I'm a great kid," it's even more crucial for them to believe "It's a great world." . . . We hope to inspire parents to take practical steps and to speak clearly to their children -- and to others -- about the importance of protecting and even, in some cases, restoring these precious characteristics of childhood . . .