by Michaeleen Doucleff
Avid Reader Press, 2021. 341 pages. Nonfiction
The oldest cultures in the world have mastered the art of raising happy, well-adjusted children, so why don't these cultures have the same problems with children that Western parents do?
The oldest cultures in the world have mastered the art of raising happy, well-adjusted children, so why don't these cultures have the same problems with children that Western parents do?
Michaeleen Doucleff, an NPR Science Desk correspondent and working mother, challenges the misleading child-rearing practices commonly recommended to parents in the United States by outlining alternatives grounded in international ancestral traditions that are being used effectively throughout the modern world. She finds that parents build a relationship with young children that is vastly different from the one many Western parents develop—it's built on cooperation instead of control, trust instead of fear, and personalized needs instead of standardized development milestones.
By breaking down the bias surrounding current "common sense" parenting practices in the United States, as well as the recent history of the majority of these suggestions, Hunt, Gather, Parent provides a wealth of perspectives and comprehensive research about how we relate to our children and actionable methods that can be applied immediately. Easy to read with a wealth of information, I definitely recommend this book for parents looking for more cross-cultural information, as well as readers of anthropology and family science.
If you liked Hunt, Gather, Parent, then you may also like:
Do Parents Matter?: Why Japanese Babies Sleep Well, Mexican Siblings Don't Fight, and American Parents Should Just Relax
by Robert A. LeVine
By breaking down the bias surrounding current "common sense" parenting practices in the United States, as well as the recent history of the majority of these suggestions, Hunt, Gather, Parent provides a wealth of perspectives and comprehensive research about how we relate to our children and actionable methods that can be applied immediately. Easy to read with a wealth of information, I definitely recommend this book for parents looking for more cross-cultural information, as well as readers of anthropology and family science.
If you liked Hunt, Gather, Parent, then you may also like:
Rowman & Littlefield, 2021. 169 pages. Nonfiction
Most modern parents work. We are seldom at our best at the end of a long working day when the parenting shift kicks in. This book suggests ways to tune in to the needs of our children and families by focusing on the quality of time (not the quantity) needed to cultivate better family wellbeing. Written by an expert in child development, the book walks you through strategies for maximizing what time you have with your family to best meet your family's needs.
Most modern parents work. We are seldom at our best at the end of a long working day when the parenting shift kicks in. This book suggests ways to tune in to the needs of our children and families by focusing on the quality of time (not the quantity) needed to cultivate better family wellbeing. Written by an expert in child development, the book walks you through strategies for maximizing what time you have with your family to best meet your family's needs.
Do Parents Matter?: Why Japanese Babies Sleep Well, Mexican Siblings Don't Fight, and American Parents Should Just Relax
by Robert A. LeVine
Public Affairs, 2016. 238 pages. Nonfiction
When we're immersed in news articles and scientific findings proclaiming the importance of some factor or other, we often miss the bigger picture: that parents can only affect their children so much. Robert and Sarah LeVine, married anthropologists at Harvard University, have spent their lives researching parenting across the globe-starting with a trip to visit the Hausa people of Nigeria as newlyweds in 1969. Their decades of original research provide a new window onto the challenges of parenting and the ways that it is shaped by economic, cultural, and familial traditions. Their ability to put our modern struggles into global and historical perspective should calm many a nervous mother or father's nerves.
When we're immersed in news articles and scientific findings proclaiming the importance of some factor or other, we often miss the bigger picture: that parents can only affect their children so much. Robert and Sarah LeVine, married anthropologists at Harvard University, have spent their lives researching parenting across the globe-starting with a trip to visit the Hausa people of Nigeria as newlyweds in 1969. Their decades of original research provide a new window onto the challenges of parenting and the ways that it is shaped by economic, cultural, and familial traditions. Their ability to put our modern struggles into global and historical perspective should calm many a nervous mother or father's nerves.
It has become a truism to say that American parents are exhausted and overstressed about the health, intelligence, happiness, and success of their children. But as Robert and Sarah LeVine show, this is all part of our culture. And a look around the world may be just the thing to remind us that there are plenty of other choices to make
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