Act Natural: A Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting

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Synopsis
From a distinctive, inimitable voice, a wickedly funny and fascinating romp through the strange and often contradictory history of Western parentingWhy do we read our kids fairy tales about homicidal stepparents? How did helicopter parenting develop if it used to be perfectly socially acceptable to abandon your children? Why do we encourage our babies to crawl if crawling won’t help them learn to walk?These are just some of the questions that came to Jennifer Traig when—exhausted, frazzled, and at sea after the birth of her two children—she began to interrogate the traditional parenting advice she’d been conditioned to accept at face value. The result is Act Natural, hilarious and deft dissection of the history of Western parenting, written with the signature biting wit and deep insights Traig has become known for. Moving from ancient Rome to Puritan New England to the Dr. Spock craze of mid-century America, Traig cheerfully explores historic and present-day parenting techniques ranging from the misguided, to the nonsensical, to the truly horrifying. Be it childbirth, breastfeeding, or the ways in which we teach children how to sleep, walk, eat, and talk, she leaves no stone unturned in her quest for answers: Have our techniques actually evolved into something better? Or are we still just scrambling in the dark?
Copyright:
2019

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
352 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780062469823
Related ISBNs:
9780062469816
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Jennifer Traig
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Parenting and Family, Social Studies, Humor
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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