We might be living in the modern world, but our children have ancient survival mechanisms
There's no such thing as 'naughty'
by Kate Silverton
Genre: Non Fiction / Parenting
About: A guide for all parents seeking to unravel the mystery that is a child's brain. Why won't your child get out of the bath? How to stop public tantrums and what to do when you're just about ready to explode...
The Good
This is super easy to read; paragraphs are short, the science is simplified and there's an ease and humour throughout that makes every chapter enjoyable. It's full of very relatable and heartfelt moments that showcase exactly what she means by 'there's no such thing as naughty'. I really loved the imagery created, especially of how the brain works, and felt like I came away with knowledge that was easy to repeat back to my husband and put into practice. Also some of the quotes are absolute gems. I can't stress how useful the guide is at putting you in the perspective of your child and reminded you of just why you wanted to be a parent in the first place.
The Bad
Yes, the science did need to be simplified and easy to read, but I don't think the text itself needed words to be capitalised, bolded, underlined (you name it) quite as often as was done in this guide. Simple is good, but sentences REALLY simplified to the point of patronizing was not needed. I did also appreciate that there were cute illustrations to go along with her reimagining of a child's brain, but there was something about the way they were implemented that felt amateurish and didn't fit in with what I was reading. At times it felt like a children's textbook rather than the thoughtful and well-researched guide that this book is.
The Somewhat Iffy
I was very interested in the section on screen time, and left disappointed. Of course, it's fairly obvious that the advice would be that screen time - in general - is not good for a developing brain. Also obvious was that the advice would be cushioned with the usual, but you do you. What I had been expecting though (as was the case with all the other sections) that there would be some talk of studies and more emphasis on why its bad rather than the generic - 'more studies need to be done and we don't chose to let our kids indulge in screen time but appreciate parents may need to resort to it'. There just wasn't anywhere near the detail on this section that was there for sibling rivalry, sleep training, tantrums etc.
Overall
This feels like a very necessary book for all parents to read. Parenting can be hard, but this highlights the joy and how to ensure you're not only doing the best for your child, but making sure it's fun for you as well.
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