This summer I read a book that I desperately wish everyone, especially every Veritas parent, would read.  The book is The Vanishing American Adult.  Ben Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska, a former college president with an Ivy League doctorate in history, and the father of three children in a classical Christian school (Veritas in Richmond, VA), has provided us with an accurate diagnosis and sound prescription for much of what ails our families and young adults.  This book is not at all political and it is not a rant.  It is a gentle exhortation to parents to stop and think about how they are raising their kids.  You may not agree with every conclusion and you may not be able to implement every suggestion, but you must have the conversation and wrestle with these issues in your home.  On some levels, Ben Sasse articulates so many of things we stand for at Veritas.  As I read this book, I kept thinking, “This is what I’ve been trying to say to our parents, Sasse just says it so much better.”  The first three chapters (87 pages) provide an easy to understand historical overview of how we got to where we are as parents -from Rousseau to Dewey to Dr. Spock.  In the rest of the book, he outlines his prescription for raising mature, responsible, and wise adults.  His stories and recommendations are very challenging and encouraging.  Please get a copy of this book, read it, talk about it, and prayerfully live it.  Some reviews and summaries can be found here, here, and here.