tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post4568361687110726443..comments2024-02-09T14:13:29.809-05:00Comments on As the Crowe Flies (and Reads!): Book Review: Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela DruckermanAs the Crowe Flies and Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110661562901480120noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-85986584222851319762012-04-25T21:14:06.961-04:002012-04-25T21:14:06.961-04:00Melody, based on what I know about you, I suspect ...Melody, based on what I know about you, I suspect you don't most things the usual way, least of all parenting!<br /><br />Nicole, are you a parent or hoping to be one some day? I'd be curious to learn your reactions to this book. <br /><br />I just loaned my ARC to my coworker who intends to be a parent one day and she, too, found the book endlessly fascinating. And she confirmed that her own parents had similar parenting styles to those described in the book.As the Crowe Flies and Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110661562901480120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-18327185307856410802012-04-25T20:25:56.278-04:002012-04-25T20:25:56.278-04:00All right, so I'm a mom of 4, and while there ...All right, so I'm a mom of 4, and while there are certainly some things that my kids have done that I swore they would never do, for the most part I find myself pretty isolated in parenting styles...I'm always amazed at the emotionality and subservience I see in parents. I'm not real sure why there was this culture shift in America.<br /><br />Funny you should mention that breastfeeding stops when the babies start sleeping through the night...I was wondering about that. I was never able to get my babies to sleep through until I stopped nursing. As soon as I stopped, they "did their nights".Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08151339860580266808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-26094408791473280242012-04-24T09:43:13.927-04:002012-04-24T09:43:13.927-04:00This sounds interesting. I think I'll add it t...This sounds interesting. I think I'll add it to my list!Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04765818961868868617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-5599895816783965582012-04-23T08:30:17.509-04:002012-04-23T08:30:17.509-04:00Melanie, this was most definitely not a sociologic...Melanie, this was most definitely not a sociological study--I doubt I would have read it if it were because I don't read many of those (Does Nickel & Dimed count as one?). It was definitely a memoir with generalization, but she cited lots of studies, both US and French ones, and there were several pages of footnotes. And of course now I can't recall the French child psychologist/expert she named frequently, but it was a 20th century woman who advocated for treating children as rational beings from the time they were born, onward. <br /><br />Honestly, most of it seemed like good common sense parenting that I don't see much of here because US parents are both hovering and oddly in need to be seen as suffering for their children, lest other people think they're not doing it right.As the Crowe Flies and Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110661562901480120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-51051254709833364972012-04-23T01:50:40.084-04:002012-04-23T01:50:40.084-04:00Em,
I've heard/read a few reviews of this book...Em,<br />I've heard/read a few reviews of this book, including yours, and mostly, it makes me shudder. Unless it's been thoroughly researched, and isn't a memoir (which, it seems like it is?), all this book is promoting is one person's biased observations of "my culture vs. theirs". It's one thing when David Sedaris writes about French culture - you know he is just talking about his own experiences, neuroses and all. It's another when someone generalizes from the particular (one of the fundamental logical flaws). For example, "doing their nights" sounds like just another way of talking about the "cry it out" method (sometimes - inaccurately - called the Feber method). This method is quite controversial, as you can imagine. There is plenty of research to back up either "side" - I'm sure, so that's note really the point.<br /><br />Maybe I'll end on a question - was this really just overgeneralization of this one person's experience, or was it a well researched piece of social research?<br /><br />:)<br />Melaniemelanie m-phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00315858201464627752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-75605011121022546392012-04-23T01:50:26.529-04:002012-04-23T01:50:26.529-04:00Em,
I've heard/read a few reviews of this book...Em,<br />I've heard/read a few reviews of this book, including yours, and mostly, it makes me shudder. Unless it's been thoroughly researched, and isn't a memoir (which, it seems like it is?), all this book is promoting is one person's biased observations of "my culture vs. theirs". It's one thing when David Sedaris writes about French culture - you know he is just talking about his own experiences, neuroses and all. It's another when someone generalizes from the particular (one of the fundamental logical flaws). For example, "doing their nights" sounds like just another way of talking about the "cry it out" method (sometimes - inaccurately - called the Feber method). This method is quite controversial, as you can imagine. There is plenty of research to back up either "side" - I'm sure, so that's note really the point.<br /><br />Maybe I'll end on a question - was this really just overgeneralization of this one person's experience, or was it a well researched piece of social research?melanie m-phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00315858201464627752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-72664496394376600852012-04-22T19:40:27.496-04:002012-04-22T19:40:27.496-04:00"But I see parents today constantly giving in..."But I see parents today constantly giving in to unreasonable demands from their children and I don't really understand how that paradigm shifted."<br />I too am perplexed at this shift. I am not a parent, but repeatedly witness the very things you wrote about. The parents in our circle who seem to do the most asking (i.e. shoes - which I have witnessed several times) sometimes also seem to be friends who have an intense desire to be "liked" and/or preferred by their kids. Could be a coincidence, but interesting.Cindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-54445503970392534402012-04-21T17:55:44.561-04:002012-04-21T17:55:44.561-04:00Being a Mom is the best job I've ever had. So...Being a Mom is the best job I've ever had. Sometimes I wish I could start over and avoid some of the huge mistakes I made...but, on the whole, consider parenting a very challenging but rewarding choice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-21285329268851746202012-04-21T16:39:33.002-04:002012-04-21T16:39:33.002-04:00Oh, Belle, it sounds like you're holding your ...Oh, Belle, it sounds like you're holding your tongue and I hope that's not the case. Please, let me have it if that's your response. But be gentle. :)As the Crowe Flies and Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110661562901480120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257036732683611349.post-9691872167158431702012-04-21T16:14:03.133-04:002012-04-21T16:14:03.133-04:00Good review. I have typed and erased a million di...Good review. I have typed and erased a million different responses. I think I'm just going to leave it at that. You're a keen observer of today's parenting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com