Act Natural: A Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting
Written by Jennifer Traig
Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
From a distinctive, inimitable voice, a wickedly funny and fascinating romp through the strange and often contradictory history of Western parenting
Why do we read our kids fairy tales about homicidal stepparents? How did helicopter parenting develop if it used to be perfectly socially acceptable to abandon your children? Why do we encourage our babies to crawl if crawling won’t help them learn to walk?
These are just some of the questions that came to Jennifer Traig when—exhausted, frazzled, and at sea after the birth of her two children—she began to interrogate the traditional parenting advice she’d been conditioned to accept at face value. The result is Act Natural, a hilarious and deft dissection of the history of Western parenting, written with the signature biting wit and deep insights Traig has become known for.
Moving from ancient Rome to Puritan New England to the Dr. Spock craze of mid-century America, Traig cheerfully explores historic and present-day parenting techniques ranging from the misguided, to the nonsensical, to the truly horrifying. Be it childbirth, breastfeeding, or the ways in which we teach children how to sleep, walk, eat, and talk, she leaves no stone unturned in her quest for answers: Have our techniques actually evolved into something better? Or are we still just scrambling in the dark?
Jennifer Traig
Jennifer Traig is the author of Devil in the Details and Well Enough Alone, and the editor of The Autobiographer’s Handbook and Don’t Forget to Write. She holds a PhD in English from Brandeis, and lives with her family in Michigan.
More audiobooks from Jennifer Traig
Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well Enough Alone: A Cultural History of My Hypochondria Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to Act Natural
Related audiobooks
All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Science of Mom: A Research-Based Guide to Your Baby's First Year, 2nd Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Parenting Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amateur Hour: Motherhood in Essays and Swear Words Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Parenting Beyond Pink & Blue: How to Raise Your Kids Free of Gender Stereotypes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5You're Not the Boss of Me: Brat-proofing Your Four- to Twelve-Year-Old Child Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Tell Me What to Say: Sensible Tips and Scripts for Perplexed Parents Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sleepless in America: Is Your Child Misbehaving or Missing Sleep? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Momma Cusses: A Field Guide to Responsive Parenting & Trying Not to Be the Reason Your Kid Needs Therapy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Silence is a Scary Sound: And Other Stories on Living Through the Terrible Twos and Threes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Secrets of Happy Families: Surprising New Ideas to Bring More Togetherness, Less Chaos, and Greater Joy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Raising Feminist Boys: How to Talk with Your Child About Gender, Consent, and Empathy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be A-Holes: Unfiltered Advice on How to Raise Awesome Kids Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected about Being a Mom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 6 Needs of Every Child: Empowering Parents and Kids through the Science of Connection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babyproofing Your Marriage Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Unplug and Play: The Ultimate Illustrated Guide to Roughhousing with Your Kids Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIntroverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Want My Epidural Back: Adventures in Mediocre Parenting Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Achtung Baby: An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5White Walls: A Memoir About Motherhood, Daughterhood, and the Mess in Between Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Relationships For You
Hit and Run Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/58 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: And How You Can Make Yours Last Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love, Revised Edition: Relationship Repair in a Flash Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trust Your Heart: Lead Your Journey to Self-Discovery From Within Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Highly Sensitive Person in Love: Understanding and Managing Relationships When the World Overwhelms You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grow Up: Becoming the Parent Your Kids Deserve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: You Are a Teen Mom: Instructions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You’re Not the Only One F*cking Up: Breaking the Endless Cycle of Dating Mistakes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries in Marriage: Understanding the Choices That Make or Break Loving Relationships Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In the Dream House: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You're Cute When You're Mad: Simple Steps for Confronting Sexism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Act Natural
15 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Occasionally bogs down in the historical details, but then the snark pulls it out. Almost certainly funnier to parents, but probably a good read for everyone.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's quite a long tome--I kept checking how many pages it had and was surprised that it was only 350 or so! The author could've stopped after Chapter 3 and sufficiently made her point. I'm impressed with the amount of research the author has done on this subject. Her humor is funny...but a bit too flippant, ceaseless/relentless, and irritating. But sometimes it hits my funny bone.Great book to make one realize that parenting advice can be completely BS!