My take-away from this book was to let children BE. Don't try to micromanage or put words in their mouth. Let them have tantrums and let them try risky activities. Give them manageable tasks and responsibilities. Treat them like small adults and don't create your schedule around them, but instead create theirs around yours. Find your village of people that can give support and love. The parenting styles seemed a little similar to Montessori to me.

I feel like I strive to do more laid back parenting already, mostly attempting to stay calm during tantrums and risky play, within reason. I try not to let my toddler smell my fear when she's refusing to get ready for bed. It was an interesting listen for me, and I enjoyed hearing about the different cultures and their ways of raising a family.

3.5 rounded up. I liked the book and hearing her experiences and observations in other cultures. Good tips and reminders.

4.5 stars.

I know this wasn't the most amazing book ever, and honestly I didn't actually LEARN that much, but I really enjoyed how all this information was presented and the practical applications of this information was laid out.

Another reviewer I read said that if you go into this thinking of it as more of an anecdotal, memoir kind of book with a few tips and recommendation, you'll enjoy it more. And I think that's very true. Doucleff referenced many other more scientific works that helped support her ideas, but this book itself was not incredibly scientific. I found that perfectly fine. And the author's daughter, a wild child who she was desperate to tame, reminded me so much of one of my kids that I empathized with her a lot and I am excited to implement a few strategies from this book into my own daily life.

Like all parenting advice book, I don't think this was AMAZING, but it did made me stop and think about a lot of things and I think that mindfulness in my interactions with my children will go a long way.