Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
| Format | US | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback | $16.95 Buy |
Judith Rich Harris looks at the idea that a child who can only socialise with adults is at a disadvantage. They need to be able to get along with their peer group. In the old days most children from three onwards would be socialised by the other kids. Judith Rich Harris makes a wonderful argument that we should be less controlling of our children when they are old enough to play with other kids because they have to learn to develop on their own terms.
The thesis of The Nurture Assumption sounds highly controversial.
Yes, Judith Rich Harris looks at the idea that a child who can only socialise with adults is at a disadvantage. They need to be able to socialise on their own terms and get along with their peer group. In the old days most children from three onwards would be socialised by the other kids. Judith Rich Harris makes a wonderful argument that we should be less controlling of our children when they are old enough to play with other kids because they have to learn to develop on their own terms. She thinks that when children are between two and a half to three the need for social inclusion kicks in so they cleave to their own gender group. That’s when boys’ play is different from girls’ play.
I was talking to a nursery worker in Denmark who told me that the boys had made their own special area where they were the “dogs” and the girls weren’t allowed to play. Finally the girls managed to get around it by offering to help look after the “dogs”. So there are ways of working it out!
Some critics would say that books like this give parents an opt-out clause on bringing up their children. If anything goes wrong they can blame it on their peers.
Well, I don’t see it like that. I think you need to look at all these books as a whole in order to form an opinion.
Read full interview
Sue Palmer writes about child development and education in the modern world. She’s listed among the 20 most influential figures in English education by the London Evening Standard. She lives in Scotland, where she was recently described in The Scotsman as one of the country’s “new radical thinkers”.
