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Population politics are a major issue in China. Susan Greenhaigh explores the origins and development of the one-child policy from the late 1970s to the present day, showing how sociopolitical life in China has been subject to scientization and statisticalization.
Although parenting approaches change, attitudes about only children remain stuck in the past. The negative stereotypes—lonely, selfish, bossy, spoiled, socially maladjusted—make parents think their child will be at a disadvantage when compared to those who grow up with siblings. The Case for the Only Child debunks the myths, taking into account the many changes the nuclear family has experienced in the face of two-family incomes, women who have children later, and the economic reality of raising children in our modern world. Combining often-surprising findings with real-life stories, compassionate insight, and thought-provoking questions, Dr. Susan Newman provides a guide to help you decide for yourself how to best plan your family and raise a single child. -Provides fascinating facts and statistics to show the reasons for the rapid risein the number of singletons -Explores pressure from friends, relatives, and strangers to have a second child . . . and how to deal with it -Demystifies the realities of raising and being an only child with personal stories and current research -Explores the highly debated question: Does a child need a sibling?
By a child-care authority and mother of an only child, this useful, knowledgeable book provides sound advice on creating an enriching environment that's stimulating and enjoyable for only children and their parents alike.
From the groundbreaking, bestselling author of The End of Nature, a controversial and provocative book arguing that to help the planet we should begin to voluntarily limit our numbers. Bill McKibben's books and essays on our environment -- physical and spiritual -- have shaped and spurred debate since The End of Nature was published in 1989. Then, he sounded one of the earliest alarms about global warming; the decade of science since has proved his prescience. Now, in Maybe One, he takes on the most controversial of environmental problems -- population. We live in a unique and dangerous time, he asserts, when the planet's limits are being tested and voluntary reductions in American childbearing could make a crucial difference. The father of a single child himself, McKibben maintains that bringing one, and no more than one, child into this world will hurt neither your family nor our nation -- indeed, it can be an optimistic step toward the future. Maybe One is not just an environmental argument but a highly personal and philosophical one. McKibben cites new and extensive research about the developmental strengths of only children; he finds that single kids are not spoiled, weird, selfish, or asocial, but pretty much the same as everyone else. McKibben recognizes that the transition to a stable population size won't be easy or pain-free but ultimately is inevitable. Maybe One provides the basis for provocative, powerful thought and discussion that will influence our thinking for decades to come.
This is the first book to examine the high-pressure lives of teenagers born under China's one-child family policy. Based on a survey of 2,273 students and 27 months of participant-observation in Chinese homes and schools, it explores the social, economic, and psychological consequences of the one-child policy.
One-child households have doubled over the last two decades, making it one of the fastest-growing family units in America. Expert Carl Pickhardt aids families in understanding the common traits of many adult "onlies"--like shyness, perfection, and intolerance--so that they can better prepare for potential outcomes. He also celebrates the positive qualities of only children and how to encourage characteristics like thoughtfulness, creativity, and ambition. Pickhardt sheds new light on issues that many only-child families encounter, such as: -attachment problems -conflicts between only child and parent -performance anxiety -unusually high personal expectations -feelings of entitlement -dependence -problems with risk-taking With a distinctive focus on long-term effects, this book will help refine and improve daily parenting methods. Parents will welcome these insightful guidelines for the formative influence they wish to provide.
Supporting and encouraging all members of the family when a child has a physical disability. If you have a child with a physical disability, how can you plan your family’s life in a way that is inclusive for everyone? What can you do to create a family where every member pulls his or her own weight (in appropriate measure), meets challenges, and has moments in the spotlight along the way? Most parents of a child who has a physical disability want their child to have fun, be responsible, make friends, and take acceptable risks—in short, to feel like “just one of the kids”—and they want to make sure that the needs of the whole family are met, too. Just One of the Kids is designed to help parents focus not on what could have been but instead on what can be, so that they, their children, and the grandparents thrive as individuals and as a family. The advice from psychologists Kay Harris Kriegsman and Sara Palmer is valuable for any family with children who have a physical disability, from any cause. Their warm and encouraging book is full of family stories, tips, and tools. Parents of children with physical disabilities can help them develop the skills needed to meet life’s challenges and launch into independence. Parents, building on that foundation and acknowledging each person’s contributions, interests, and aspirations, create an inclusive and resilient family.
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book Hailed by Entertainment Weekly and the Wall Street Journal as a best book of the year, this gorgeous and imaginative story—part picture book, part graphic novel—is utterly transporting and original. USA Today declared it “a compelling and melancholy debut from an important new talent" as well as "an expansive and ageless book full of wonder, sadness, and wild bursts of imagination.” And like Shaun Tan's The Arrival and Raymond Briggs's The Snowman, it is quickly becoming a modern classic. A little girl—lost and alone—follows a mysterious stag deep into the woods, and, like Alice down the rabbit hole, she finds herself in a strange and wondrous world. But... home and family are very far away. How will she get back there? In this magnificently illustrated—and wordless—masterpiece, debut artist Guojing brilliantly captures the rich and deeply-felt emotional life of a child, filled with loneliness and longing as well as love and joy. “A haunting, wordless, gorgeously drawn picture book.” —People “Told wordlessly through soft, dreamy illustrations, Guojing’s tale evokes the loneliness of growing up under China’s one-child policy.” —Entertainment Weekly “A dreamy, wordless debut.” —The New York Times "Majestic.... Rare is the book containing great emotional depth that truly resonates across a span of ages: this is one such." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred "Reminiscent of Raymond Briggs’s classic, The Snowman (1978), this is quiet, moving, playful, and bittersweet all at once." —Booklist, Starred
