The only way this son's life could be a tragedy was to do nothing about it.

A young college graduate guns his car into a retaining wall is instantly killed. His mother, author Sally Raymond, asks one agonizing question: Why? What brought her bright, successful son Jon to suicide? This newly licensed family therapist digs for the truth of Jon's life--and through Erik Erikson's Eight Stages of Human Development--she finds it. Together, Jon's experience and Erikson's lens highlight the key psychological challenge every child faces at each stage of growth. Gaining insight into what a child experiences inside themselves at each age gives parents and readers everywhere new tools for helping kids navigate the sometimes rough currents of life. Jon's fate need not be yours--or your children's. Understanding each stage of development from the inside out can help children and adults alike steer toward wholeness, joy, and fulfillment.