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NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children by co-authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman is a work of non-fiction that takes on the subject of child development. It presents information from new research or studies to challenge traditional beliefs, such as how children are tested for high intelligence in kindergarten, racial issues, and why kids lie. The book’s main purpose is to inform parents and educators about this new information so they can rethink some of their old methods for raising children.

In the chapter “The Inverse Power of Praise,” Merryman and Bronson begin by pointing out that parents praise their children to help boost their self-confidence. However, this kind of praise can actually hurt a child’s self-esteem because they fear making mistakes will make them seem unintelligent. A study also shows that many kids think that being praised by a teacher means they are not as talented or smart as other students; thus, they interpret the praise as meaning teachers simply need to encourage them more because they are not good enough yet.

In addition, Merryman and Bronson argue that praising children for something outside of their control is damaging to them because it makes them fearful about messing up in front of others who may judge or criticize what they do based on how well it measures up against some standard; therefore, when people tell you how great you are at something (especially if those people have authority over you), you should try your best not to take pride in yourself for doing so—as much as it may be tempting—because there is always someone better than you at everything!

In the chapter, “The Lost Hour,” Merryman and Bronson explain how one lost hour of sleep can affect a child’s brain development. They also discuss some common misconceptions that white parents have about talking to their children about race. Parents may feel that discussing race will make them seem racist or separate races as different from each other, but studies show that kids do notice differences between races and without guidance they might draw incorrect conclusions on their own. Another study shows only 8% of white children have friends outside their race so if parents don’t help guide them through these experiences they won’t learn anything beyond what they know now.

The book also discusses the relationships that children have with their siblings. In “Why Kids Lie,” Merryman and Bronson reveal that kids aren’t trying to get away with anything; instead, they are afraid of disappointing their parents and making them upset. To help kids stop lying, parents should tell their children that they value honesty and that honesty makes them happy. They further examine sibling relations in “The Sibling Effect.”

This book attempts to give parents a thorough understanding of children and their development. The author explains the idea that our thoughts about children are not always accurate, especially when it comes to raising them. We need to offer kids more support than we might have received as kids in order for them to succeed. This book relies on peer-reviewed studies and statistics so that parents don’t have to rely on hearsay or other opinions about how to raise their children.

Po Bronson is a journalist who has written for newspapers and magazines. He also wrote a few novels and narrative non-fiction books, including the New York Times bestseller “What Should I Do With My Life?” Ashley Merryman is also a journalist with an interest in psychology. The pair contributed articles on parenting to New York Magazine, which won them several awards.