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Parents are raising their children in a world that is both more complicated and more flooded with information. The cross-generational passing down of parental wisdom from one’s own family and neighbors is no longer common practice. Instead, parents receive overwhelming, often competing, advice from books, magazines, social media, and Internet “experts.”
While this abundance of childrearing advice shows society’s interest in parenting, it also means that there is no magic formula when it comes to raising children. In this book, I have tried to provide young parents with some guidelines that will help them make sound parenting decisions for themselves. These are based on personal knowledge gained over forty years of teaching and widely accepted theories and reputable research. I also wrote from my own experience raising three children and four grandchildren. What was most helpful in writing this book, however, were the insights I’ve gained from my interactions with countless children and parents at the San Jose State University Child Laboratory, where I worked as the lab director.
- From the Preface



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword 6
Preface 8
Acknowledgements 12


PART I. Becoming a Parent

Chapter 1 The Heavy Responsibilities and Complexities of Parenting 16
Chapter 2 What Makes Us: Genes vs. Experience 22
Chapter 3 Why the Uphill Battle? 30
Chapter 4 Gender Roles in Parenting 37
Chapter 5 Parenting Challenges of Single Mothers 42


Part II. Pregnancy & Childrearing

Chapter 6 How the Prenatal Experience Shapes Our Lives 50
Chapter 7 The Growth of a Fetus 54
Chapter 8 Prenatal Use of Harmful Chemical Substances 58
Chapter 9 Weight Gain during Pregnancy 68
Chapter 10 Sex during Pregnancy 71
Chapter 11 Diet and Nutrition during Pregnancy 75
Chapter 12 Breastfeeding vs. Use of Formula 79
Chapter 13 Toilet Training 85
Chapter 14 Language Development 90
Chapter 15 Play, the First Step of Learning 100
Chapter 16 Discipline and Setting Limits 108
Chapter 17 Building Harmonious Relationships among Siblings 115
Chapter 18 Childhood Obesity and Its Prevention 122
Chapter 19 Challenges of Raising an Autistic Child 129
Chapter 20 Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 134


Part III. Raising Competent and Happy Children

Chapter 21 The Key to a Child’s Happiness: Self-esteem 142
Chapter 22 Raising a Confident Child 152
Chapter 23 Fostering Tolerance 161
Chapter 24 Fostering Adaptability 165
Chapter 25 Choosing a Preschool or Childcare Center 171
Chapter 26 Facilitating Cognitive Development 179
Chapter 27 Fostering Creativity 193
Chapter 28 Helping Children Do Well in School 201
Chapter 29 Early Foreign Language Education: Truth vs. Myth 207
Chapter 30 Teaching Financial Responsibility 214
Chapter 31 Helping Children Overcome Screen Addiction 218
Chapter 32 Raising Children as an Immigrant 224


Epilogue 234
References 238
About the Author 242