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Screen time. Daycare. Praise. Sleep training. Spanking and time-outs. Helicopter versus "old school" parenting. There are a lot of questions facing parents of young children but consistent and reliable science-based answers can be hard to find. Parenting Made Complicated, written by child psychiatrist Dr. David Rettew, tackles many of the biggest controversies facing new parents today and examines the science behind these issues with writing that is lively, personal, non-preachy, and even funny. This book doesn't assume that the "correct" answer for each parenting dilemma is the same for each child. Instead it describes how different approaches may be required based on a child's unique temperament or other important factors. Practical, informed, and entertaining, Parenting Made Complicated is a complete resource for parents and professionals alike who are looking for dependable information about today's parenting controversies.
List of contents
- Part 1: General Principles
- 1. It Depends
- Unpacking the Most Boring Answer in Science
- 2. Child Temperment
- A Primer on Personality Differences in Children
- 3. Tiger/Attatchment/Helicopter Parenting
- Searching for Truth Among the Books and the Blogs
- Part 2: Infancy
- 4. Pick Them Up or Let Them Cry (For a While)?
- The Passionate Debate over Sleep Training
- 5. Working
- Making Peace with the Childcare Wars
- 6. Got Milk?
- The Case for Breastfeeding Leading to Smarter and Happier Kids
- 7. Blue, Pink or Yellow?
- How Parents Can Affect Gender Development
- Part 3. Toddlers and Preschoolers
- 8. Yucky
- Finding Solutions for Picky Eaters
- 9. For the Sake of the Kids
- Considerations on Separation and Divorce
- 10. Sparing the Rod (and the Chair?)
- Spanking, Time-Outs, and Other Disciplinary Techniques
- 11. IToddler
- The Effects of Early Media and Technology Use
- 12. Good Job!
- Science Examines Praising and Overpraising
- 13. The Next Steps
- Putting Knowledge Into Action
- 14. References
About the author
David Rettew, MD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and serves as Medical Director of the Child, Adolescent, and Family Division of the Vermont Department of Mental Health. He has been in practice for nearly 20 years, dividing his time between clinical, teaching, public policy, and research activities. Dr. Rettew has published over 100 journal articles, chapters, and scientific abstracts on a variety of child mental health topics, including the 2013 book Child Temperament: New Thinking About the Boundary Between Traits and Illness. He writes a blog for Psychology Today called "The ABCs of Child Psychiatry." You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook @PediPsych.
Summary
Practical, informed, and entertaining, Parenting Made Complicated is a complete resource for parents and professionals alike who are looking for dependable information about today's parenting controversies.
Additional text
Part scientist, part physician, part artist, and all parent — Dr. Rettew has given us a generous gift. Thoughtful, insightful, and eminently readable, Parenting Made Complicated will educate and delight moms and dads as they wade through the all too often murky waters of parenthood.
