A lot of the things which people commonly believe about rearing children are wrong, according to research reported in NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. A popular assumption is that children can be encouraged to perform better academically if they are praised for their intelligence often enough. Research in fact demonstrates that constant praise in fact increases the likelihood that a child will give up quickly when encountering a difficult task. It is important to encourage persistence rather than praise intelligence.
Most people are unaware of how serious the effects of lack of sleep can be on a child. Children are typically getting one hour less sleep each day than was the case 30 years ago, and this results in reduced IQ, diminished well-being, and increased propensity to ADHD and obesity. Parents typically try to avoid talking about issues of race in the hope that their children will grow up “colour-blind”; however, children tend to self-segregate if colour issues are not explicitly discussed.
These and many other topics relevant to children and parents are discussed in the book. The authors present a wide range of what could otherwise be considered fairly dry research in an interesting and attention-grabbing manner. The book should be of interest to parents and anyone involved in educating children.