The Book I Wish I Had Written

In what little free time I have these days I've been reading the new book, NutureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. I don't want to steal too much of the book's thunder because I'm sure the authors would rather you read it yourself, but this is a really good book if you're interested in child development like I am. NurtureShock sets out to do what I try to do with this blog: translate and present academic child development research in a user-friendly format to the non-academic audience. I've already read several chapters and I can tell that NutureShock does this well. The book tackles popular child development issues such as language development, parental praise, sleep, and self-control. From the chapters I've read so far, the authors seem to do a good job pulling from the latest academic research in the field. They use this research to debunk some common child development myths or misconceptions that have been around for years. I should note that this is not really a parenting book. The authors are careful not to try to offer advice on how to parent based on the research. Rather, they describe the research findings and their implications for child development and let the reader decide whether or not this might change how they parent in a given situation. If you're are interested in latest child development research (and you probably are since you're reading this blog) I encourage you to check out this book.

Fall Fling on Because Babies Grow Up

One of my favorite blogs, Because Babies Grow Up, is hosting a Fall Fling blog carnival. The goal is to collect ideas for fun things to do to celebrate the Fall season with your children, especially the little ones who aren't in school yet. I've posted the button on the sidebar so check it out.



I do love the fall season, although here in the south fall really doesn't happen until at least October. My little one is only 3 months old so we're still not going on too many outings but I do hope to make a trip to a local fall festival or pumpkin patch in the near future. Of course, I also look forward to dressing up our little one in a first Halloween outfit.

Check out Because Babies Grow Up for some great fall activities and there are also giveaways!

Great New Podcast

I'm slowly getting back to blogging after a few months getting used to being a new mom. Wow, what a learning experience it has been! All the books in the world can't prepare you for motherhood. Of course, I knew that going into it, but now it's even more of a reality. Having some academic background in child development, however, has helped and I continue to try to keep up with research to share with you here on The Thoughtful Parent.

I recently came across a great podcast I wanted to share. It's called Mojo Mom. The host, Amy Tiemann, is the author of the book Mojo Mom: Nourishing Yourself While Raising a Family. Although I haven't read the book yet (I just ordered it), I've been impressed with the author's thoughts and insight into motherhood. As a new mom, it's been nice to hear about how other moms struggle with the transition to motherhood and that it is okay (and necessary) to take care of yourself in addition to taking care of your baby. Tiemann also has a PhD in neuroscience so she has an eye for research, which I appreciate. Check it out and see what you think.

I'll be back soon posting more research-related information about child development issues.