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Hunt, Gather, Parent

What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans

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Hunt, Gather, Parent

Written by: Michaeleen Doucleff
Narrated by: Michaeleen Doucleff
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About this listen

New York Times Best Seller

The oldest cultures in the world have mastered the art of raising happy, well-adjusted children. What can we learn from them?

Hunt, Gather, Parent is full of smart ideas that I immediately wanted to force on my own kids.” (Pamela Druckerman, The New York Times Book Review)

When Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff becomes a mother, she examines the studies behind modern parenting guidance and finds the evidence frustratingly limited and the conclusions often ineffective. Curious to learn about more effective parenting approaches, she visits a Maya village in the Yucatán Peninsula. There she encounters moms and dads who parent in a totally different way than we do - and raise extraordinarily kind, generous, and helpful children without yelling, nagging, or issuing timeouts. What else, Doucleff wonders, are Western parents missing out on?

In Hunt, Gather, Parent, Doucleff sets out with her three-year-old daughter in tow to learn and practice parenting strategies from families in three of the world’s most venerable communities: Maya families in Mexico, Inuit families above the Arctic Circle, and Hadzabe families in Tanzania. She sees that these cultures don’t have the same problems with children that Western parents do. Most strikingly, parents build a relationship with young children that is vastly different from the one many Western parents develop - it’s built on cooperation instead of control, trust instead of fear, and personalized needs instead of standardized development milestones.

Maya parents are masters at raising cooperative children. Without resorting to bribes, threats, or chore charts, Maya parents rear loyal helpers by including kids in household tasks from the time they can walk. Inuit parents have developed a remarkably effective approach for teaching children emotional intelligence. When kids cry, hit, or act out, Inuit parents respond with a calm, gentle demeanor that teaches children how to settle themselves down and think before acting. Hadzabe parents are world experts on raising confident, self-driven kids with a simple tool that protects children from stress and anxiety, so common now among American kids.

Not only does Doucleff live with families and observe their techniques firsthand, she also applies them with her own daughter, with striking results. She learns to discipline without yelling. She talks to psychologists, neuroscientists, anthropologists, and sociologists and explains how these strategies can impact children’s mental health and development. Filled with practical takeaways that parents can implement immediately, Hunt, Gather, Parent helps us rethink the ways we relate to our children, and reveals a universal parenting paradigm adapted for American families.

©2021 Michaeleen Doucleff. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
Anthropology Children's Studies Parenting & Families Relationships Village Happiness Parenting Ancient
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What the critics say

"NPR reporter Michaeleen Doucleff narrates this audiobook - part memoir and part guide on contemporary parenting. She is honest, clear, and thoughtful as she presents a wide range of research on parenting theories from many cultures. For those seeking new ways to connect with or better understand their children, this will be a welcome listen. Doucleff creates the feeling she is in your kitchen, swapping stories and wisdom of the ages. This title is easy on the ears, and the chapters go by swiftly. For an author turned narrator, she is very confident as she presents ideas from diverse sources. From the Inuit to city dwellers, Doucleff informs as she entertains, regaling us with advice of how to keep the peace." (AudioFile Magazine)

What listeners say about Hunt, Gather, Parent

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A must read for parents!!!!!

I cannot tell you how much I wish I had read this 30 years ago when my children were babies! Vital information, simply and powerfully explained. Read it and give it to every parent/ grandparent you know!
And then check www.UnschoolingSchool.com to see how we can apply the same fundamentals to education and give more autonomy and responsibility at school.
Heather MacTaggart

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Very enlightening

I will apply a lot from this book to my everyday life. It contains a lot of basic principals that are easily overlooked.

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Must read

Incredible book! The author has a great voice and it’s so easy to listen to. My only (minor) complaint is that she often pronounces “children” as “trilldren”

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excellent tips

I will definitely be implementing much of what the author discusses here. everything makes so much sense and she includes practical examples of doing everything.

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Best parenting book out there

The only book to read for us weird westerners! I actually cried in relief several times the first time I listened to this book. Parenting doesn't have to be so hard, so complicated. I don't have to lose myself to my child. They are a member of the family and we do things together. My relationship with our son has transformed in such a short time, and I'm honestly a very chill mother now. I started tracking the number of tantrums we were having per day, and now the tantrums are only little blips on the radar of a week, hardly being registered. I mean he is two, so still has his moments! But I don't react anymore. I just smile and calmly think, I'm his mother and I love him. Within a minute the tough moment is over. Not sure why the author narrated as though she was reading a story to a child, but aside from that, I LOVE this book and want everyone to read or listen to it. The narration didn't completely put me off as I've listened to it twice now, and will again I'm sure.

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loved it!

I would recommend this book to any parent or caregiver! It is full of concrete ideas and different perspectives.

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A MUST READ

I have read dozenS of parenting books. I’ve listened to this one twice in a row in 3 days because I wanted to absorb every nugget of information and wisdom. This book has changed my outlook. I will continue to listen to this book as a reminder. This book has inspired me to relate w my kids in different ways and has empowered me to make long lasting changes in our day to day family life. Thank you Michaeleen and Rosie for sharing your beautiful stories!

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Groundbreaking

This was hands down my “breakthrough” book for a simplified approach to parenting. I will never not recommend this book as one of my top parenting books to new parents. These are the cut and dry strategies I was looking for that I couldn’t find the answers to in other wishy washy, idyllic parenting methods. You can’t talk a toddler down from a tantrum when they can’t even speak a full sentence yet - but you sure can show them what behaviour is desirable via Practice, Model, Acknowledge!

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Game changer. Life changer book.

This is my first review. I just had to do it. I can’t stop talking about this book. As I started listening, at first I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book. But it didn’t take long for it to get my attention and by the end it spoke to me on such a deep level. I have read some of the top parenting books and Loved them, but found them hard to implement. This book skipped the textbook talk (that my psychology degree brain loves) and just explained it parent to parent. I started trying the tips as I was learning them and it’s almost like I tuned into their needs and saw them for who they were. I have not raised my voice in 2 weeks. They don’t trigger me anymore. I get frustrated and annoyed but instead of yelling I try to ask a question and see if magic happens. Who is squishing the cushion? *magically gets up off the couch cushion and straightens it.* It has been fun figuring out how to communicate with them. Making kids think changes the power struggle and builds executive function. Also makes them think it’s their idea and creates conversation vs giving out orders. I see them differently and i have stopped raising my voice, repeating myself, barking orders, and talking so much.

Thank you for taking the time to travel with a toddler so that you can share this with the world that really needs this!

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Parenting simplified

I thought parenting was so much more tangled and complicated with all sorts of contradicting advice. But this book gives advice which makes sence, backed up by research and which is very compelling.

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