Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans
About the book
Author: Michaeleen Doucleff
Publisher: Avid Reader Press
More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.
Buy and support indie bookstores (+ I earn a small commission):
Bookshop.org (print or ebook) | Libro.fm (audio)
My review
I have an 18-month-old, and a good friend who has two toddlers lent me this book. She and I have very similar parenting styles and philosophies, so I’m not surprised that I found a lot of value in it. Tonally, it was a little more self-help-y than I would normally gravitate to, but it did help me feel a little more prepared for the years ahead and I’m especially glad I read it while my daughter is still so little.
As a mom of a not-so-great-behaved toddler, Doucleff had traveled to Mexico for work and witnessed a family full of children who weren’t just helpful, but helped without being asked. So she set out to write this book by traveling around the world to learn what she could about parenting styles from other cultures.
Overall I found myself nodding along with Doucleff as she discusses how American parenting culture seems to be backwards in many ways. I found her most of takeaways logical and helpful, like involving kids in chores and asking for their help early, even if they slow things down initially, so they can learn how to do them and see that their help is valued. Her “model, practice, acknowledge” structure is also really helpful. (I don’t think I’ll be telling my child that there are monsters in the refrigerator, though.)
Anyway, this is definitely worth the quick read (I listened on audio) and I’m glad to have a paper copy to refer to Doucleff’s helpful advice by age range in the future.
Content and trigger warnings
Pregnancy
