Act Natural: A Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting

Synopsis

From A Distinctive, Inimitable Voice, A Wickedly Funny And Fascinating Romp Through The Strange, And Often Contradictory History Of Western Parenting-- Why Do We Read Our Kids Fairy Tales About Homicidal Stepparents? Exhausted, Frazzled, And At Sea After The Birth Of Her Two Children, Traig Began To Interrogate The Traditional Parenting Advice She'd Been Conditioned To Accept At Face Value. The Result Is A Deft-- And Hilarious-- Dissection Of The History Of Western Parenting, Moving From Ancient Rome To Puritan New England To The Dr. Spock Craze Of Mid-century America. Have Our Techniques Actually Evolved Into Something Better? Or Are We Still Just Scrambling In The Dark? -- Adapted From Jacket Introduction: Act Natural -- Look Busy: On Outsourcing -- The Second Coming: On Childbirth -- You're Doing It Wrong: Advice Manuals Through The Ages -- Nasty, Brutish, And Short: The First Three Years -- Tooth And Nail: Feeding And Fighting -- All The World's A Stage: Acting Your Age -- I Know You Are But What Am I?: Sibling Conflict -- Kids Today: On Discipline -- Use Your Words: Children's Books -- Lullaby And Good Night: Sleep -- Afterword: Second Nature. Jennifer Traig. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.