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

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements

PART I. Becoming a Parent

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


Part II. Pregnancy & Childrearing

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


Part III. Raising Competent and Happy Children

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


Epilogue
References
About the Author