Parenting, Inc.: How the Billion-Dollar Baby Business Has Changed the Way We Raise Our Children
"An entire industry preys on parental anxiety . . . Paul tries to lead us out of the catastrophization of childhood."—The New York Times Book Review

Parenting coaches, ergonomic strollers, music classes, sleep consultants, luxury diaper creams, a never-ending rotation of DVDs that will make a baby smarter, socially adept, and bilingual before age three. Time-strapped, anxious parents hoping to provide the best for their baby are the perfect mark for the "parenting" industry.

In Parenting, Inc., Pamela Paul investigates the whirligig of marketing hype, peer pressure, and easy consumerism that spins parents into purchasing overpriced products and raising overprotected, overstimulated, and over-provided-for children. Paul shows how the parenting industry has persuaded parents that they cannot trust their children's health, happiness, and success to themselves. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at the baby business so that any parent can decode the claims—and discover shockingly unuseful products and surprisingly effective services.

Paul's book leads the way for every parent who wants to escape the spiral of fear, guilt, competition, and consumption that characterizes modern American parenthood.

1112572997
Parenting, Inc.: How the Billion-Dollar Baby Business Has Changed the Way We Raise Our Children
"An entire industry preys on parental anxiety . . . Paul tries to lead us out of the catastrophization of childhood."—The New York Times Book Review

Parenting coaches, ergonomic strollers, music classes, sleep consultants, luxury diaper creams, a never-ending rotation of DVDs that will make a baby smarter, socially adept, and bilingual before age three. Time-strapped, anxious parents hoping to provide the best for their baby are the perfect mark for the "parenting" industry.

In Parenting, Inc., Pamela Paul investigates the whirligig of marketing hype, peer pressure, and easy consumerism that spins parents into purchasing overpriced products and raising overprotected, overstimulated, and over-provided-for children. Paul shows how the parenting industry has persuaded parents that they cannot trust their children's health, happiness, and success to themselves. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at the baby business so that any parent can decode the claims—and discover shockingly unuseful products and surprisingly effective services.

Paul's book leads the way for every parent who wants to escape the spiral of fear, guilt, competition, and consumption that characterizes modern American parenthood.

23.99 In Stock
Parenting, Inc.: How the Billion-Dollar Baby Business Has Changed the Way We Raise Our Children

Parenting, Inc.: How the Billion-Dollar Baby Business Has Changed the Way We Raise Our Children

by Pamela Paul
Parenting, Inc.: How the Billion-Dollar Baby Business Has Changed the Way We Raise Our Children

Parenting, Inc.: How the Billion-Dollar Baby Business Has Changed the Way We Raise Our Children

by Pamela Paul

Paperback(First Edition)

$23.99 
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Overview

"An entire industry preys on parental anxiety . . . Paul tries to lead us out of the catastrophization of childhood."—The New York Times Book Review

Parenting coaches, ergonomic strollers, music classes, sleep consultants, luxury diaper creams, a never-ending rotation of DVDs that will make a baby smarter, socially adept, and bilingual before age three. Time-strapped, anxious parents hoping to provide the best for their baby are the perfect mark for the "parenting" industry.

In Parenting, Inc., Pamela Paul investigates the whirligig of marketing hype, peer pressure, and easy consumerism that spins parents into purchasing overpriced products and raising overprotected, overstimulated, and over-provided-for children. Paul shows how the parenting industry has persuaded parents that they cannot trust their children's health, happiness, and success to themselves. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at the baby business so that any parent can decode the claims—and discover shockingly unuseful products and surprisingly effective services.

Paul's book leads the way for every parent who wants to escape the spiral of fear, guilt, competition, and consumption that characterizes modern American parenthood.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780805089240
Publisher: Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.
Publication date: 03/31/2009
Edition description: First Edition
Pages: 320
Product dimensions: 5.60(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Pamela Paul is the editor of The New York Times Book Review and oversees books coverage at The New York Times. She is also the host of the weekly podcast, Inside The New York Times Book Review. Prior to joining the Times, she was a contributor to Time magazine and The Economist; her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Slate, and Vogue.

She is the author of My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues; By the Book; Parenting, Inc.; Pornified; and The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Mother Load 1

1 Gearing Up 15

2 Target: Parents 53

3 Trouble in Toyland 89

4 Let Us Edutain You 115

5 Class Time 144

6 Pampered 179

7 Outsourcing Parenthood 219

Conclusion: The Bottom Line 261

Notes 273

Acknowledgments 289

Index 291

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