Some of the best books on parenting are those that put modern parenthood in perspective. Books on parenting culture provide insight into our experiences as mothers — why we worry about the things we do, why we often feel anxious and unsure of ourselves as mothers, and what we can do about it.
They are great for helping us become better, stronger, more informed parents. Sometimes the best parenting books aren’t “how-to” books at all! Here are some top picks.
Paranoid Parenting: Why Ignoring the Experts May Be Best for Your Child
Every day there’s a new warning about your children. Everything is dangerous: crib, babysitter, school, supermarket, park. High-profile campaigns and child-care experts will tell you that your children’s health, safety, and development are constantly at risk. Parents don’t know whom to trust; the only clear message is that they can’t trust themselves.
Fresh and accessible, and based on new sociological research as well as dozens of interviews with parents and experts, Paranoid Parenting will bolster your confidence in your own judgments and enable you to bring up self-assured, imaginative, capable children. (Description from back cover)
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NB. Of all the books on parenting I’ve read, this is a true favourite — it’s accessible, it’s interesting, it’s well-researched, and it tackles head-on one of the biggest sources of anxiety for parents; our (mis)perceptions of risk.
The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined All Women
“[This book on parenting is about] the cult of the new momism: a trend in American culture that is causing women to feel that only through the perfection of motherhood can true contentment be found. This vision of motherhood is highly romanticized and yet its standards for success remain forever out of reach, no matter how hard women may try to “have it all.” The Mommy Myth takes a provocative tour through the past thirty years of media images about mothers: the superficial achievements of the celebrity mom, the news media’s sensational coverage of dangerous day care, the staging of the “mommy wars” between working mothers and stay-at-home moms, and the onslaught of values-based marketing that raises mothering standards to impossible levels, just to name a few….This nimble assessment of how motherhood has been shaped by out-of-date mores is….a must-read for every woman.” (description from book’s inside flap)
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Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety
Judith Warner became a mother while living abroad. Returning to the United States from France several years later with her two young children, she was shocked to discover the differences between the two cultures in regard to motherhood — with the U.S. coming up short. What she found here in the U.S. are mothers living lives of quiet desperation as they struggle to parent in an age of anxiety.
Intelligent, frank, and entertaining, Perfect Madness is an insightful look at modern motherhood, an illuminating history of a century of American culture, and an urgent wake-up call for the future of the American family.(Description of this book on parenting comes from back cover)
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Mother Knows Best: Talking Back to the Experts
Mother Knows Best presents a sustained critique of the leading mothering advice literature of the past decade or so. With a cutting-edge approach and a frank, “talking back” tone, the authors make a significant contribution to the current literature on mothering. – Lauri Umansky, Professor, History Department; Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Suffolk University
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What’s your favourite parenting book?
