Nurture the Nature P

by Michael Gurian

Book Overview

From Michael Gurian, the best-selling author of The Minds of Boys and The Wonder of Girls, comes the next-step book that shows how any parent can tune into a child's unique core personality, hard wiring, temperament, and genetic predisposition in order to help that child flourish and thrive.

Based on the most recent brain research, Nurture the Nature features the Ten Tips for Nurturing the Nature of Your Baby, self-tests, checklists,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470322527
• ISBN13: 9780470322529
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Book!

Encourages that you follow your own instincts with your children and pay attention to their personalities. Following this advice leads to less stress in parenting and happier children.

Practical approach to child-raising

As he has done in earlier books and presentations Michael Gurian again exercises his unique ability to communicate the interlocking realities of nurture and nature in the daunting tasks of raising children. He combines experience and insights from his practice of family therapy, his own parenting evolution and the best thoughts of those helping us understand the rapidly increasing knowledge in neuro-science and gender differences. He presents the reader with an extremely accessible sequence of suggestions for helping children grow from pre-natal to young adult. Using both his gifts as a story-teller and educator Michael entertains and inspires while providing the reader with specific ideas and methods to be explored. Nurture the Nature invites us to action on behalf of our child and children everywhere. Michael offers a firm but gentle hand to help us surmount the significant hurdles contemporary life-styles provide. He may occasionally jar us from a treasured accepted practice and generally asks us to rethink our over-dependence on social trends as our primary reference but in it all strongly urges us to discover and nurture our individual child's inborn nature. As a (not-so-great or grand) great-grandfather I am introducing this book to my extended family and all those with whom I work in education and family relationships. Thank you, Michael, for what has come before and now this wonderful addition to your wise counsel! Larry Hackett

If your life includes children, you should read this book

Michael Gurian has written a book that gives me the confidence to follow my parenting instincts. Many times, what I thought was the right course of action ran counter to the popular parenting theories of the day. I naturally assumed that I was wrong and gave in to what the "experts" were saying. In this book, Michael Gurian points out that our instincts are usually correct and he gives the scientific background to support this conclusion. Children are not a "blank slate". They are born with natural tendencies and personalities. As parents, it is our responsibility to provide the support and guidance that allows the child's personality and abilities to shine through. As a result, the child is allowed to grow into the most capable adult possible. Gurian's book gives a parent the resources needed to resist "social trends parenting". As an educator (I teach math), this book has given me a new appreciation for the individuality of each student. I am reminded that children do not come with a common template and that teaching them as if they did will, in most cases, miss the mark. For parents, educators, and anyone who deals with children (which includes almost everyone), this is a most important book.

Perfect for Every Parent!

As an educator and school administrator for more than three decades and a parent of two college-age children, I wish this book had been available for the past 25 years. In Nurture the Nature, Michael Gurian gives the key to raising healthy and happy children: discovering, appreciating and following each child's basic personality. His suggestions are down to earth and just what parents need to hear in our media-dominated culture that sends many unhealthy messages to children and parents. The clearly presented information is carefully connected to scientific research and provides valuable tips for parenting children of all ages. Unlike most books written for parents, it will not overwhelm the readers with what they may be doing wrong, but instead give them the tools to meet the needs of each of their children. For parents, parents-to-be and anyone who works with children, this is a must read book.