Scan barcode
thehlb's review against another edition
2.0
I feel bad giving this only 2 stars, but "it was okay" seems an apt summation.
I agree wholeheartedly with the overall premise of the book, which is that overparenting and helicoptering only makes kids less happy in the end.
The author's methods and some of his reasoning I do not agree with.
He seems to contradict himself on occasion when it seems convenient. He also implies that public education leads to an idea that we all must work like slaves for an evil wage and be happy about it and this is a bad thing. (Sorry fella, but not all of us can be writers and live on a farm.)
He also seems really, really into drinking, and nearly suggests that parents should spend their post bedtime hours drunk.
He is not just spouting forth his own opinion, he does borrow heavily from Locke and Rousseau, only less well written.
STILL, it was an interesting read, and I'd love if my friends read it if only to discuss.
I agree wholeheartedly with the overall premise of the book, which is that overparenting and helicoptering only makes kids less happy in the end.
The author's methods and some of his reasoning I do not agree with.
He seems to contradict himself on occasion when it seems convenient. He also implies that public education leads to an idea that we all must work like slaves for an evil wage and be happy about it and this is a bad thing. (Sorry fella, but not all of us can be writers and live on a farm.)
He also seems really, really into drinking, and nearly suggests that parents should spend their post bedtime hours drunk.
He is not just spouting forth his own opinion, he does borrow heavily from Locke and Rousseau, only less well written.
STILL, it was an interesting read, and I'd love if my friends read it if only to discuss.
yggdrasil_81's review against another edition
The author keep citing JJ Rousseau as a perfect exemple. Since Rousseau has abandoned his five children, I can't really take him as an model, so the book isn't convincing.
francomega's review
3.0
On the surface I agree with the overall premise of this book: that we over-parent today, that we put too much on our kids' plates and don't give them enough space to just be kids. And, as a result, parents are more chill and not so damned stressed all the time.
That said--and this always irks me about books like this--the author lives on a farm in Devon, England, where, sure, all of that is far easier to do. Work at home and let your kids run free in the wide open fields surrounding your house? Sure, great advice.
That said--and this always irks me about books like this--the author lives on a farm in Devon, England, where, sure, all of that is far easier to do. Work at home and let your kids run free in the wide open fields surrounding your house? Sure, great advice.
megami's review
3.0
It was with trepidation that I started this book - I have read some of Hodgkinson's writing on his website and heard him on the radio a few times, and I had already guessed that his book was going to infuriate me as many times as I agreed with it. And so it was.
This book is infuriating - the author manages to contradict himself and want to have his cake and eat it too - agreeing to philosophical arguments, except for the bits he doesn't like; espousing playing with your kids whenever they ask, yet making sure your life is your own and your kids realise that they have to fit in with it, etc. It is also all very well to tell parents to just enjoy being with and playing with their kids, but there are some of us (and going by what I have encountered anecdotally, a lot of us) that just don't enjoy imaginative play with stuffed toys, or play-doh. We don't have children that will sit enraptured while we make up stories. So much of his advice is useless.
That said, Hodgkinson is realistic enough to admit that even he has problems with his advice at times. Admittedly this often crosses the line into smug 'oh, I am so not good at this' territory, but other times it makes him feel more human.
Overall, there are some great ideas and suggestions in this book. And the general philosophy is a good one. However, I think something like 'The Three Martini Playdate' does a better and more realistic job of the realistic parenting/get on with your life as an adult and don't make raising kids such a huge deal book idea.
This book is infuriating - the author manages to contradict himself and want to have his cake and eat it too - agreeing to philosophical arguments, except for the bits he doesn't like; espousing playing with your kids whenever they ask, yet making sure your life is your own and your kids realise that they have to fit in with it, etc. It is also all very well to tell parents to just enjoy being with and playing with their kids, but there are some of us (and going by what I have encountered anecdotally, a lot of us) that just don't enjoy imaginative play with stuffed toys, or play-doh. We don't have children that will sit enraptured while we make up stories. So much of his advice is useless.
That said, Hodgkinson is realistic enough to admit that even he has problems with his advice at times. Admittedly this often crosses the line into smug 'oh, I am so not good at this' territory, but other times it makes him feel more human.
Overall, there are some great ideas and suggestions in this book. And the general philosophy is a good one. However, I think something like 'The Three Martini Playdate' does a better and more realistic job of the realistic parenting/get on with your life as an adult and don't make raising kids such a huge deal book idea.
jjweisman's review
3.0
Honest and straightforward. It fails to answer the sub-title's question (or even proves that it is so). What Hodgkinson discusses instead is the achievement of a truly harmonious family life with speculation about its knock-on benefits for children. Harmonious here means neither the clockwork of fascism nor the down of indulgence. A highly desirable objective and an equally enjoyable guidebook.