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This stimulating and readable book presents verbatim reproductions of twenty-three meetings of a parent discussion group led in a quite directive manner by the author. It is addressed to young parents and provides little in the way of technical explanation. The parents, a normal group, raised specific questions, such as, “When should we stop bottle feeding?” The author developed this question and others, e.g., “When should I stop a child from hitting?,” “When should I toilet train?,” into more basic ones, such as, “What kind of baby do I want?” He was thus able to make a number of parents somewhat aware of the dynamics underlying their child-rearing difficulties and then to induce them to effect the relevant behavior changes.
The author feels that general theories of child-rearing, as well as specific advice, are inadequate for most parents in their daily dilemmas. Rather, parents are served best by a more general method which can be applied to a greater number of their problems. The author emphasizes paying attention both to covert process and also the overt activity of the individual in working out his own difficulties. As such, it is highly commended. Although certain of Bettelheim's specific suggestions seem more dramatic than accurate (e.g., don't kiss the baby since you thereby “start a premature adult response!”), it is hoped that his notions will be accepted in the terms in which they are offered…as guidelines for a “method of investigation” in such problems.
There is always the question of how much of an impact a single book can have on anyone's behavior. Here, it would be hoped that more parents will be encouraged by this work to join professionally led parent discussion groups where certain behavioral changes are encouraged.