First published 2015
Christine Schütt argues that debates about proper child-rearing miss the fundamental point. Society shapes its future through how it raises children, but most parenting discussions ignore the biological foundations of parent-child interaction. Schütt, writing as a physician rather than an educator, takes readers into behavioral biology and psychology to examine what happens at the molecular level during brain development. She reveals how parenting operates like a ping-pong match of action and reaction, occurring not just through conscious decisions but through constant unconscious signals via body language, facial expressions, and everyday behaviors. Parents influence their children from day one through modeling that shapes emotional and social intelligence. This biological perspective explains connections between early parenting and later outcomes like motivation, learning capacity, happiness, stress, and aggression in developing children. Schütt exposes common mistakes adults make while trying to provide good parenting and examines how political and economic conditions affect child-rearing. The core message remains simple: parents leave lasting impressions on their children, though recognizing their own unconscious behaviors presents the greatest challenge.
Genres: psychology, non-fiction, parenting, biology, academic
Vibes: informative, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: expert-perspective, informative-nonfiction
194 pages · Paperback · Bod - Books on Demand