By Gabrielle Principe
Prometheus Books, $17.00, 325 pages
Parents need to slow down, and in a non-aggressive fashion. Your Brain on Childhood: The Unexpected Side Effects of Classrooms, Ballparks, Family Rooms, and the Minivan looks at how people have been raising their children, and makes a case for slowing things down. Kids are in too much of a hurry to grow up, and their parents are abetting them; as humans evolved to take advantage of a slower pace, and that could be a bad thing.
In a well-researched plea to parents, it is suggested that too many products not only separate foolish parents from their money, but can actually do more bad than good. Although they look good, and have a great pedigree, parents need to starve those dogs for the good of the children. Besides being a consumer protection service for parents, it also explores ways to take advantage of what you have, and to tell parents that sometimes limiting the structure that you force on children is doing them a disservice. If you are tired of being told that you are a bad parent because you don’t spend every last cent on your child, this book is a salve for suffering parent.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim
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