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