[Note: This article was originally posted on my personal blog on January 26th, 2008. I've kept this book nearby and have re-read sections, always enjoying the unique perspective within the pages. So, I thought I would share it with you!]
I’ve just finished reading a fascinating book, called Our Babies, Ourselves, wherein the author introduces us to a new science called “ethnopediatrics.” Blending pediatrics, evolutionary biology and anthropology, Meredith F. Small, compares parenting styles across cultures, comparing and contrasting with little judgment, in the best style of anthropology. This means that Americans don’t get a free pass as having the best parenting practices, but they are put into a context as compared to other cultures.
Dr. Small introduces us to the idea of the parent-child dyad, the two-way partnership that arises because children are born completely dependent upon a caregiver. The child’s job, in this dyad, is to communicate to the parent in whichever way possible, and the parent’s job is to respond. Continue reading »
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