The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.56 (575 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1250132258 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-08-18 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Children are designed to be messy and unpredictable, playful and imaginativeand to be very different both from their parents and from each other.. One of the world's leading child psychologists shatters the myth of "good parenting"Caring deeply about our children is part of what makes us human. In the past thirty years, the concept of parenting and the multibillion-dollar industry surrounding it have transformed child care into obsessive, controlling, and goal-oriented labor intended to create a particular kind of child and therefore a particular kind of adult.In The Gardener and the Carpenter, the pioneering developmental psychologist and philosopher Alison
"Gopnik has written yet another wonderful, wise book about children." according to Graham H. Seibert. Gopnik's gardener/carpenter metaphor goes to the heart of the way children are seen in modern America, epitomized by the recent coinage "parenting." A gardener supports animate objects as they grow according to their own internal nature. A carpenter shapes inanimate objects entirely according to his own will. In Gopnik's words:"In the parenting model, being a parent is like being a carpenter. You should pay some attention to the kind of material you are working with, and it may have some influence on what you try to do."But essentially your . "Compelling and insightful text with unfortunately framed introduction" according to C. Nagy. The central thesis of this book and most of the supporting text is intriguing and compelling. The core idea is that “parenting”, encompassed by a set of techniques with associated expertise and focus on outcomes, is problematic for a variety of reasons; “being a parent”, encompassed by a human relationship that allows children to flourish, is more congruent with children’s developmental needs. The section on children and technology is particularly illuminating — perhaps the very best treatment of cultural . MWH said Great read even if you aren't raising children. Thoughtful book, clearly talking about how children explore and learn. We don't shape children (the carpenter) but provide the environment (gardener) that supports them as they develop the tools to flourish in the future, unpredictable world. The author also writes about society, caregiving, and aging. I'm not directly involved with children, or grandchildren, yet I found this a fascinating book to read. I highly recommend it.
Each generation is different from the ones before. This lovely book, and the life’s work that animates it, will only deepen that bond, helping our children to flourish.” Erika Christakis, The Washington Post“Fascinating and passionate A welcome corrective to the results-driven approach to parenting.” Bee Wilson, The Guardian"Alison Gopnik's The Gardener and the Carpenter should be required reading for anyone who is, or is thinking of becoming, a parent Hers is a rare erudition: scholarly, yes, but accessible and rooted in her experience as a mother and grandmother Gopnik's science-based assertion is a welcome corrective to the prevailing culture of coaching and tutoring childrenoften at great expenseto avoid failure.” Isabel Berwick, Financial Times"The Gardener and the Carpenter calls into question the
She is an internationally recognized leader in the study of children's learning and development. She writes the Mind and Matter column for The Wall Street Journal and is the author of The Philosophical Baby and coauthor of The Scientist in the Crib. . She has three sons and lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, Alvy Ray Smith. Alison Gopnik is a professor of ps