Reviews for Parenting, Inc.

The average rating for Parenting, Inc. based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-06-30 00:00:00 Elizabeth Medley This book drove me crazy, if only because it cemented the fact that we are a bunch of morons. I guess that's not very specific. Let me begin again: This book seems to be written for people who haven't yet grasped the fact that there is more to being a human being than buying things. The other assumption made by this book is that all parents want their children to be members of some strange wealthy elite by turning them into driven early intellectuals and pitting them against other children to get into programs run by people who exploit this desire. In other words, the audience for this book resides on the Upper East Side and would be devastated if any child received anything less than an Ivy League education. So, this book goes on to list all the billions of items that you must buy to be this parent, and then describes (over and over) how all the marketing is, gasp!, a ploy to get your money! Shocking! If you don't already know that parenting has the absolute most to do with spending time with your children in real life, and wanting them to be happy and kind above all else, than this book is for you. If, somehow, you aren't completely idiotically blinded by consumerism and have somehow managed to think on your own, then skip it. Because it's redundant and depressing and I just feel disgust at the parents and marketers and sorrow for the poor kids who have these sorts of expectations thrust upon them. I want my children to love learning. I want them to get into a good college. But I don't think anything I buy is going to get them there. Reading them bedtime stories and letting them play in the dirt is more up my alley. I know I'm opinionated about this. But here is my list of products essential for baby care: (1) boobs and (2) a sling. Everything else is mostly crap. Once they get older, add books and some kind of ball to that list. The end.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-02-11 00:00:00 Wolfgang Gerber Oh, woe, woe, woooooooooooe is the urban, upper middle-class mother! The pressure! The expectations! The subtitle of this books is "How We Are Sold on $800 Strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Language, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper Wipe Warmers and What It Means for Our Children." And my response, after reading the book, is "we? We who?" Full disclosure: I did talk my mother into buying me a diaper wipe warmer. In my defense, I was less than a week post-partum and my premature son was still in the NICU. It seemed like a good idea at the time. And also, it was $15. I don't think it compares to, for example, the Bugaboo (that's the $800+ stroller). For the rest of it: Are you serious? I don't think I'm alone in not finding these temptations even part of my world. (Paul focuses on educational toys and videos, classes for babies, luxury items for babies, and outsourcing parenting.) Yeah, I have a few muticolored plastic things around the house that sing the alphabet, and we definitely log some time with Elmo; we try to make it to (free) storytime at the library most weeks, and...well, I can't really think of anything that approaches being a "luxury" item. I bought him an outfit at Gymboree one time that wasn't on sale. Does that count? My point is this: I don't think I'm especially abstemious or unusual. Paul tries over and over to make the point that the high levels of pressure (to get your child into the right preschool!) and consumption in L.A. and Manhattan are trickling down to other areas of the U.S. Then she cites places like The Woodlands, Texas, and Bethesda, MD--i.e., wealthy bedroom communities for other urban areas. She's as out of touch as Hanna Rosin, who complained in the Atlantic about how much pressure there is to breastfeed. I have no doubt that there are some circles where all of this is true--where you feel horrible for giving your baby formula, for not buying organic cotton onesies, or for buying a cheap Graco stroller. But--here's the catch, Pamela and Hanna--these circles are not [i:]representative[/i:]. I dunno. The book was interesting enough that I kept reading, probably at least in part because it made me feel smug. "Well, I certainly don't do that! I always thought Baby Einstein sounded stupid. Ha! My baby sleeps fine, and I never had to hire a specialist!" I agree with and like Paul's ultimate point: Trust yourself as a parent to help your child and to know what is right; don't spoil your kids; remember that your parents can probably offer you some decent advice. I just...just...is this ultimate point really necessary? Are there really that many parents out there who don't have this kind of common sense? Reading a few of the Amazon reviews...I guess so. Sad.