The Successful Child What Parents Can Do to Help Kids Turn Out Well

Just what does it take to raise a responsible, compassionate child in asociety whose overbearing media celebrates and encourages violence, promiscuity,and gluttonous materialism? Dr. William Sears and his wife, Martha, a nurse,understand that instilling a moral code in one's children is among the mostdaunting, yet vital, of all parenting tasks. In The Successful Child,they've marvelously distilled 34 years' experience parenting their eightchildren and treating thousands of kids in their pediatric office--along withfacts from recent scientific studies--into this collection of constructive,reassuring guidelines for nurturing children into healthy, well-adjusted youngadults.As Dr. Sears told his children, "Your success in life ... will not be measuredby the money you make or the degrees you earn, but rather by the number ofpersons whose lives are better because of what you did." To that end, Searsadvocates what he has coined "attachment parenting," or AP, the practice oflistening to your parenting instincts and being sensitive to your baby's needs(such as by quickly responding to cries; by breastfeeding on cue, notbottle-feeding on a schedule; and by co-sleeping). By having his needs metimmediately, Sears says the child learns to trust adults, and he in turn mirrorsthis behavior by acting sensitively to the needs of others later on. Sears says, "It's never too late to try the AP approach with a child," butThe Successful Child definitely will be most useful to parents who'veraised their child according to AP guidelines through infancy and toddlerhood.Those who haven't may shudder when Sears writes that the developmental stagefrom birth to one year most influences a child's future success "because that'swhen caregivers leave the most lasting impressions on a child's brain."Nevertheless, the Searses have packed in a plethora of sensible tips here forall parents, including 16 ways to teach children how to make wise choices, 12strategies for guiding spiritual development, seven questions to ponder when ateen wants to start working part-time, and a dozen ways to boost your child'sintellectual abilities, such as by offering a diet high in brain-buildingomega-3 fatty acids. But the most important thing parents can do for their kids,the Searses say, is to hold high expectations: "Let her know that you expect herto do her best, no less and no more, and that you will love her no matter what."--Erica Jorgensen

Martha Sears, RN and William Sears, MD, are the pediatrics experts to whom American parents turn for advice and information on all aspects of pregnancy, birth, childcare, and family nutrition. Martha Sears is a registered nurse, certified childbirth educator, and breastfeeding consultant.

Dr. Sears was trained at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital and Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, the largest children's hospital in the world. He has practiced pediatrics for nearly 50 years. Together, the Searses have authored more than 40 pediatrics books.