Hunt, gather, parent : what ancient cultures can teach us about the lost art of raising happy, helpful little humans / Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD ; illustrations by Ella Trujillo.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-328) and index.

Section 1 Weird, wild West. The WEIRDest parents in the world ; Why do we parent the way we do -- Section 2 Maya method. The most helpful kids in the world ; How to teach kids to do chores, voluntarily ; How to raise flexible, cooperative kids ; TEAM 1: Introduction to TEAM parenting: a better way to be together ; Master motivators: what's better than praise? -- Section 3 Inuit emotional intelligence. Never in anger ; How to teach children to control their anger ; How to stop being angry at your child ; TEAM 2: Encourage, never force ; Introduction to parenting tools: I: Tools for tantrums; II: Tools for everyday misbehavior ; Tools for sculpting behavior: stories ; Tools for sculpting behavior: dramas -- Section 4 Hadzabe health. How did our ancient ancestors parent? ; The most confident kids in the world ; TEAM 3: Ancient antidote for anxiety and stress ; Ancient antidote for depression -- Section 5 Western parenting 2.0 ; TEAM 4: A new paradigm for Western parents ; Sleep -- Epilogue -- Practical sections. Train helpfulness ; Train cooperation ; Learn to motivate children ; Learn to have less anger toward children ; Discipline without words ; Discipline with stories ; Discipline through dramas ; Boost confidence and self-reliance ; Build emotional support for the family (and give yourself a break).

The oldest cultures in the world have mastered the art of raising happy, well-adjusted children. What can we learn from them? When Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff becomes a mother, she examines the studies behind modern parenting guidance and finds the evidence frustratingly limited and the conclusions often ineffective. Curious to learn about more effective parenting approaches, she visits a Maya village in the Yucatán Peninsula. There she encounters moms and dads who parent in a totally different way than we do - and raise extraordinarily kind, generous, and helpful children without yelling, nagging, or issuing timeouts. What else, Doucleff wonders, are Western parents missing out on? In Hunt, Gather, Parent, Doucleff sets out with her three-year-old daughter in tow to learn and practice parenting strategies from families in three of the world's most venerable communities: Maya families in Mexico, Inuit families above the Arctic Circle, and Hadzabe families in Tanzania. She sees that these cultures don't have the same problems that Western parents do. Most strikingly, parents build a relationship with young children that is vastly different from the one many Western parents develop - it's based on cooperation instead of control, trust instead of fear, and personalized needs instead of standardized development milestones. Maya parents are masters at raising cooperative children. Without resorting to bribes, threats, or chore charts, Maya parents rear loyal helpers by including kids in household tasks from the time they can walk. Inuit parents have developed a remarkably effective approach for teaching children emotional intelligence, When kids cry, hit, or act out, Inuit parents respond with a calm, gentle demeanor that teaches children how to settle themselves down and think before acting. Hadzabe parents are world experts on raising confident, self-driven kids with a simple tool that protects children from stress and anxiety, so common now among American kids. Not only does Doucleff live with families and observe their techniques firsthand, she also applies them with her own daughter, with striking results. She learns to discipline without yelling. She talks to psychologists, neuroscientists, anthropologists, and sociologists and explains how these strategies can impact children's mental health and development. Filled with practical takeaways that parents can implement immediately, Hunt Gather, Parent helps us rethink the ways we relate to our children, and reveals a universal parenting paradigm adapted for American families. -- From dust jacket.