Do Parents Matter?

In Do Parents Matter? anthropologists (and grandparents) Robert & Sarah LeVine investigate the diversity of parenting practices across the world - from the USA to Africa, Japan to Mexico - and come away with a reassuring conclusion: children tend to turn out to be the same well-adjusted adults all around the world no matter the parenting style. Japanese children sleep with their parents well into primary school, women of the Hausa tribe (largely based in Nigeria) avoid verbal and eye contact with their toddlers; Western parenting frowns on both practices but Japanese children show higher than average levels of empathy while Hausa children seem quite content. The Levines' fascinating global investigation discovers the practices and experiences of parents from around the world, and comes away with profound lessons from other cultures on how to build a family. This in-depth survey of parenting practices across the world is based on almost 50 years of research, concluding: there is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting, free yourself from expert advice and learn to relax.