This was one of the best gifts I've ever received. The inscription reads:
"To Jessica and Jared---
I really believe there are so many wonderful guidelines in this book.
Have all the fun with your kids.
From Natalie's great-grandmother R."
As a new mom, I was hungry for information about parenting and child development. The night after my grandma gave this book to me I feasted through the first several chapters giddy over finally feeling like I had a great resource. Here are a few reasons why I loooove this book and why I think it stand out.
1. Written by one man with 37 years of solid observation of a variety of families and real children---not just one parent 's experience---and thoroughly documents his research. It covers sociability, intelligence, language, "recommended" practices, how to raise an emotional stable child, even why types of toys are best and why, safety, physical development and on and on. Whenever I feel a little on the fritz as a mom, I just pop this book open and seriously find the solutions to all my problems (OK, that was a little dramatic...).
2. It's broken down into age based stages and includes at the end of each stage signs your child is moving on so it's easy to find out right away where you child is at without being any pressure if your child is measuring up because they are broken into age ranges/stages.
3. It's littered with great phrases like "verge of hilarity" and "your baby as a gymnast" and "chronically joyful" and "nurturing the roots of intelligence."
4. He doesn't write as "this is the only way" or "this is the best way" to do things. He simply writes what has been solidly observed, why a child does what he/she does and assures you much of what is happening is normal, and here's what to do about it. The main purpose of this book is to raise a bright, unspoiled child during the first three years. He builds on simple ideas and principles over and over and shows you how in the long run, raising children is wonderful and raising wonderful children is possible and easier than raising not-so-pleasant children with a little direction. He writes there are three major obstacles for parents to gain optimal development which are ignorance, stress, and lack of assistance---have you found yourself trying to overcome any of those three things as a parent? And then goes on to describe that in most instances it's better to ask a mother of 7 children for advice than a professional because there is not a whole lot of practical training available for new parents in our country.
Here's a paragraph that cracks me up, "Babies create clutter; it is as natural as breathing. And a cluttered house with a ten-month-old baby is, all other things being equal, a good sign. If fact, an immaculate house and a ten-month-old baby who is developing well are, in my opinion, usually incompatible. If more adults were aware of this contradiction, they would probably endure a lot less grief [and stress]." Doesn't that just make sense? Babies are crawling and full of curiosity...parents should be fostering that and enjoying that instead of time on an "immaculate" home---let alone have the energy for it! Notice, he didn't write clean or orderly, but immaculate.
Bla bla bla...here's the real reason why I'm writing post. You've gotta take everything with a grain of salt, right. You won't agree with everything someone says, and there's one point in the book he writes that well-developing children generally select adult roles in imaginary play rather than animals. Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Give me a great imagination and pass along the cheetahs along with the fireman. Natalie does plenty of both, but the times that I enjoy watching her (and participating in...wait, what does that say about me?) are the times she's an animal...as well as a "mom" or "checker at the store" or a "princess." Kids play is kids play. I just got a kick out of that. Anyway, here's Natalie as a dog in her dog bed. She's pretending to be sleeping...she's awfully good, hun? Which leads me wonder...
For about a week we had a penguin fort up in our living room. She slept in it at night, played that fishing game where the little fish rotate in a circle and you use little fishing poles to catch them because of course penguins eat fish, and we had many other little three year olds over to join in the penguin party. Loads of fun.
