NurtureShock
by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
Ten chapters of counterintuitive research on children: praising intelligence backfires, an hour less sleep costs a grade level, talking about race explicitly helps, children lie more when punished, sibling relationships predict later ones. Some studies have weakened since; the sleep and praise findings remain strong. Readable and surprising.
Read it if…
you want research that overturns common parenting assumptions.
Skip it if…
you want a system; it is a collection of findings.
Three things you will actually use
- Praise effort, not intelligence.
- Sleep loss harms children more than adults.
- Children learn what you model, not what you say.
Do this first
Move bedtime thirty minutes earlier for a week and watch mood and schoolwork.
Our verdict
Surprising and readable.
Compare with other Parenting books
Hold On to Your Kids
Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté · Parenting
Persuasive and worth considering.
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