We are so afraid of parenting wrong that we overdo it to try to get it right. In How to Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims draws on research, on conversations with admissions officers, educators, and employers, and on her own insights as a mother and as a student dean to highlight the ways in which overparenting harms children, their stressed-out parents, and society at large. While empathizing with the parental hopes and, especially, fears that lead to overhelping, Lythcott-Haims offers practical alternative strategies that underline the importance of allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop the resilience, resourcefulness, and inner determination necessary for success. Lythcott-Haims graduated from both Stanford and Harvard, and practiced law before returning to Stanford to work as Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of Freshmen and Undergraduate Advising. She is also a writer of non-fiction, poetry, short stories, and plays.