The Process of Parenting

I've only read about half the book so far for my parenting class I'm taking. Overall it seems to be a fairly decent overview of what research and professionals are saying now, although I have spotted some inaccuracies in the book and it definitely shows some biases in certain areas. For example the book talks about the growing problem that there are more and more older people compared to younger people. Brooks says this is due to the lifespan increasing. The human lifespan is actually not increasing it remains around 120 years, it is life expectancy that is increasing not lifespan. She goes on to quote stats of life expectancy, I don't know if it was a mistake or is she doesn't know the difference between the two. Also it bothered me the way she described the 50's nuclear family as focusing on the emotional well being of all family members. This was far from the truth in many families which focused on the power of the male not on how everyone (particularly the wife and kids) was feeling. This seemed to reflect personal beliefs of the author or maybe she never really researched that particular area and just made assumptions. I'm a family development major and the "Lead it to Beaver" family was more of a myth than the norm in the 50's. I don't really like the layout of the summaries at the end of the chapters either. They are a bit too brief and don't necessarily hit on all the main points. Other than that it is a fairly easy read, it's organized fairly well, and has some good information and advice in it. Although I may sound like I don't like the book, it's not all that bad. It would be a mistake to "through the baby out with the bath water."