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.