I love this book. It will make you stop and think about the types of parenting techniques that we accept as gospel. I think this is a great 'first' parenting book, and will lead the reader into some other great practical books.

On a negative, the author does draw too many conclusions from her observations that really can not be backed up by proper research. She also ignores some interesting questions. For example, she focuses twice on the story of the man who built a playpen for his child. The child screamed when placed in the playpen and the man, very in tune with his child, immediately removed the child and smashed the playpen. What the story fails to address is what caused the man to create the playpen in the first place. Why did he feel a need for it. ( )

It makes me think people are becoming, or similar to, or meant to be, marsupials. I think the strangeness of the modern world and the challenge of guiding the younger generation really calls for this book and its simple power. How good if society can accept women carrying their babies on their backs in all kind of contexts... work, outings, meetings etc. I really believe it! Children must be really empowered by this! ( )

Some of the advice here seems sensible and useful. It seems like a good idea to relax about parenting, to carry children with you when you can, to let children be around adults and with older children. On the other hand, I found her descriptions of the 'torture' that Western parenting puts children through melodramatic and unnecessary. The reinforcement of gender stereotypes and claims that homosexuality, addiction, and criminality were all caused by bad parenting did not endear this book to me either. ( )

allowing human nature to work successfully; evolution; 11/04