Parenting, Inc.

Author: Pamela Paul

Summary: The subtitle is too long for the entry line above, but it says it all: How We Are Sold on $800 Strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Language, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper Wipe Warmers - and What It Means for Our Children. Paul deconstructs the current trend of "parenting" as an skill to be pursued and perfected where it used to be "child rearing" and was viewed as a normal part of life - as natural as falling off a log.

Recommendation: I'll admit that reading the chapters on overpriced strollers and nursery furniture gave me a sense of perverse satisfaction to have bypassed all of that in favor of a simple homemade ring sling and co-sleeping. Someone who bought the Bugaboo (or even lusted after it) or the frou-frou crib bedding to the tune of several hundred dollars might not enjoy the way the mindset leading to such excess is criticized.

Hearts: 5