The Gardener and the Carpenter

The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children | Alison Gopnik

pick

A refreshing read on what it means to be a parent; she argues (using a lot of research) that we need to let go of the idea of parenting with a vision of who we want our children to be - rather give them space & freedom to explore, play & be involved. The school system is all about outcomes & grades & I love that she writes about how education needs to make a shift to allow for play & to make room for different types of learning …

Riveted_Reader_Melissa

youneverarrived She writes about why we have a long childhood, evolutionary psychology, how grandparents can play an important part in how we raise children & more. I found it really accessible and interesting although slightly repetitive ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #nonfiction2022 - marvellous 3y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Sounds good! 3y

TheNeverendingTBR @youneverarrived I agree what you said about the educational system. 😏 3y

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youneverarrived @TheNeverendingTBR it needs a massive overhaul! 3y

BiblioLitten I just read and enjoyed this book even though it could get repetitive too.

Becoming the Parent You Want to be: A Source Book of Strategies for the First Five Years

youneverarrived @BiblioLitten I love reading books about being a parent. I find it so interesting how little minds develop and grow and how to foster that. A lot of them can be repetitive though! 3y

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Sarah.Kat

The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children | Alison Gopnik

I don't get to do this as much these days; sleep wins out most mornings, now that I have a small child. But sometimes missing a little sleep is worth it!

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saresmoore

The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children | Alison Gopnik

so-so

I was riveted by the first half of this book. The meticulous research and Gopnik‘s anthropological insights—especially about the role of human grandmothers—were fascinating. Then it fizzled a bit and I just got bored with all the science. I think there is a lot of value in this balanced perspective on the evolving relationship between parents & their children. See comments for a quote that I think sums up the takeaway from this thorough research.

saresmoore “The parenting picture suggests that you can measure the value of caring for children by measuring the value of the adults those children become. But rather than trying to reduce the value of caring for children to other values, we should simply appreciate that the relations between parents and children are unique.” 6y

Suet624 Um, yeah. 6y

saresmoore @Suet624 I think the portions about grandmothering are really insightful and I kept thinking of you! If you can find this to borrow, I think it‘s worth a skim, at least. 6y

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saresmoore

The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children | Alison Gopnik

I recently read a brief interview with this author and immediately sought out a copy of her book. It‘s sort of a book about parenting, proving why “parenting” is an unhelpful construct. She‘s a scientist, so it‘s front-loaded with evolutionary biology and I am riveted! I did not expect it to be so good. Sue, I‘m prematurely recommending this to you!

Suet624

Suet624 Oooh, I‘ll check it out!!! Thanks! 6y

LeahBergen And I hope that‘s wine (to help with the parenting and all). 😆 6y

saresmoore @LeahBergen You know it! 6y

Christine I once really wanted to read this and then forgot it existed. Thanks for the reminder!! 6y

Suet624 I found one local library that has the book so I‘ll be grabbing it shortly. I was surprised by the number of other books there were by the author. They all sound interesting. 6y

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