Parent School

February 18, 2002
The authors, who are parents and collaborators on Earth Angels: True Stories and Real People Who Bring Heaven to Earth, have compiled an array of parenting tips and strategies from childcare experts like pediatrician William Sears, psychologist Lawrence Kutner, columnist John Rosemond and other doctors, therapists and writers. The "lessons" are organized into thematic sections from infant care to discipline, values, education and divorce. Some of the contributors offer general strategies, like therapist Jane Nelsen's advice to "take time for training and then don't do things for children that they can do for themselves," or postpartum expert Karen Kleiman's essay on taking the pressure off women to be perfect mothers. Others provide concrete tips: parent education pioneer Nancy Samalin's discipline techniques include making impersonal statements ("books belong on the shelves"), while author Jim Fay offers steps for "tease-proofing" your kids. Though the book offers lessons from numerous respected parenting experts, many readers may feel that the brief entries—generally two to five pages—are no substitute for in-depth, single-topic volumes or the traditional comprehensive guides by one authority. There are plenty of useful tidbits—and eye-catching luminaries—here, but the book will probably not be anyone's must-have reference.