What FOUNDATION believes about raising a child
Quick answer
FOUNDATION rests on a few plain ideas. Deal with what could do real harm before anything else. Build ordinary habits you can repeat. Leave room for who your child turns out to be. Tell firm advice from flexible advice. And don't expect any book, or any parent, to guarantee how a childhood turns out.
Where does the book begin?
Before the first chapter, FOUNDATION describes what kind of book it means to be. Its first page calls it
A family guide to growing well, from before birth to eighteen.
The emphasis is on growing well rather than on getting ahead, and on the family as a whole rather than a program to complete. A page titled Building a strong foundation then sets out three ideas that run through every chapter.
Why protect first?
The first idea is about order. Before any extras, the book asks parents to deal with the problems that can quietly get in the way of everything else:
Enrichment products can wait until you’ve taken care of a hearing problem, an unsafe sleep setup or poor nutrition.
The point is not that enrichment is bad. It is that the basics come first, and that the most useful thing a parent can do is often less exciting than the thing being marketed.
Why ordinary rituals?
The second idea is about what actually builds a childhood. The book puts more weight on small things repeated than on big gestures:
A strong foundation is built from ordinary things done often: sharing breakfast, taking a walk, reading before bed and listening to your child.
It also points out something every parent recognizes sooner or later:
Your child learns from what you teach, and from who you are.
Why leave room for the child?
The third idea is humility about how much any parent controls. The book names the other forces plainly:
Temperament, biology, opportunity and chance shape a child too.
From there, it asks parents to watch how their child meets the world and adjust, rather than to fit the child to a plan. And it is clear that needing help is not a verdict on anyone:
A child can have a solid foundation and still need extra support, and that is not a parenting failure.
How does the book treat advice?
Not all advice carries the same weight, and FOUNDATION tries to say which is which. Some guidance exists to keep a child safe and applies every time; some is a matter of family preference. The book describes its own job here:
Some advice is firm and some is flexible, and this book helps you tell them apart.
It also asks readers to judge advice, its own included, by who is behind it, how recent it is and whether other reliable sources agree. Our guide on how to choose a parenting book applies that test to FOUNDATION itself.
What is it all for?
The book states its aim in a single line on its opening pages: a child who feels safe, has what he or she needs, and keeps growing more able to meet the world. Not a particular kind of child, and not a particular result. Near its end, the book comes back to the same idea:
Well cared for, supported and free to grow.
FOUNDATION does not promise an easy childhood or an exceptional one. It tries to help a family put the important things in place, in time, and then get on with living.
All stages · What is a personalized parenting book? · How to choose a parenting book
FOUNDATION by THIS CHILDHOOD is a personalized digital parenting book, delivered as a PDF and an EPUB, that runs from before birth to 18. About the book
A note from the book
This guide assumes a generally healthy, full-term child, and it’s general education, not medical care tailored to yours.
Prematurity, growth concerns, a disability, illness, allergy, a feeding difficulty or medication can change that plan. If one applies, the book says to ask your child's pediatrician or specialist what changes for your child. It also says research hasn't found a parenting formula that guarantees a particular outcome.
This book has not had independent clinical review.