NurtureShock

NurtureShock

Parenting
A California college professor had students keep gratitude
journals for ten weeks. The subjects became healthier, happier, and
more optimistic. When other college students kept gratitude journals
their surveyed friends reported that they were more emotionally
supportive and helpful. Not surprisingly this practice was quickly
incorporated into public schools. Then it was tested on middle school
students. The results were decidedly...
...lackluster. The kids were not more grateful during or later
than controls.
HUH?
That is the primary reaction you will have reading Po Bronson
and Ashley Merryman's NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children if
you're anything like me. That and AHA! The authors take some of the
most unquestioned assumptions about child development and shred them.
If you are curious and bold enough to tackle this book, you will
learn, among other things, that:
*Praising your child's intelligence frequently may make him/her more
risk averse and willing to cheat rather than motivated;
*The simple act of starting high schools later in the morning can not
only improve students' ability to learn, but cut down on their traffic
accidents and reduce the surliness we routinely ascribe to adolescence;
*Sibling rivalry, that bane of parental existance, is not competition
for our attention or the worst thing for our children's later
relationships;
*Baby educational DVDs actually delay, rather than enhance children's
language learning. However, talking to children per se is not the
panacea we've been told it is.
*A certain amount of conflict between teens and parents (another bane
of existence for moms and dads) is actually linked with honesty and
respect on the part of the kids...
Come on. Tell me you can read that and not want to get your
hands on NurtureShock. There may be a few points of discomfort due to
the authors' candor. However, this is a fascinating and insightful
volume that, in my mind, is a must read for parents, teachers, admin,
clergy, and others who work with children and maintain open minds and
curiosity.
On a personal note, it's the last day of 2013. I'm spending it
geeking out--reading and reviewing with plenty of candy, my reading
chair near my beautiful tree, and my good chum, tuxedo cat, Joey.
A great big shout out goes out to my readers--may you have a safe and
happy New Year and a wonderful 2014!
Julia Emily Hathaway




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