{"product_id":"act-natural-a-cultural-history-of-misadventures-in-parenting-9780062469816","title":"ACT Natural: A Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom a distinctive, inimitable voice, a wickedly funny and fascinating romp through the strange and often contradictory history of Western parenting\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhy do we read our kids fairy tales about homicidal stepparents? How did helicopter parenting develop if it used to be perfectly socially acceptable to abandon your children? Why do we encourage our babies to crawl if crawling won't help them learn to walk?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese are just some of the questions that came to Jennifer Traig when--exhausted, frazzled, and at sea after the birth of her two children--she began to interrogate the traditional parenting advice she'd been conditioned to accept at face value. The result is \u003cem\u003eAct Natural, \u003c\/em\u003e hilarious and deft dissection of the history of Western parenting, written with the signature biting wit and deep insights Traig has become known for. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoving from ancient Rome to Puritan New England to the Dr. Spock craze of mid-century America, Traig cheerfully explores historic and present-day parenting techniques ranging from the misguided, to the nonsensical, to the truly horrifying. Be it childbirth, breastfeeding, or the ways in which we teach children how to sleep, walk, eat, and talk, she leaves no stone unturned in her quest for answers: Have our techniques actually evolved into something better? Or are we still just scrambling in the dark?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTraig, Jennifer:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJennifer Traig\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of \u003cem\u003eDevil in the Details\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eWell Enough Alone\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e, \u003c\/em\u003e and the editor of \u003cem\u003eThe Autobiographer's Handbook\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eDon't Forget to Write\u003c\/em\u003e. She holds a PhD in English from Brandeis, and lives with her family in Michigan.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50674634981650,"sku":"9780062469816","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_46fccd51-f166-4112-a57f-ef0e0bd183dd.jpg?v=1733863748","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/act-natural-a-cultural-history-of-misadventures-in-parenting-9780062469816","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}