Talking to Parents

By D.W. Winnicott

Book Overview

The respected child psychologist presents a collection of insightful essays full of useful advice on how to understand the parent-infant process, offering liberating and reassuring guidance on helping children succeed.
" Winnicott's] brilliant insights are based on a deep understanding of the parent-infant processes coupled with firm conviction that most parents want desperately to do well by their children."--T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.
"Here was a man who could be 'popular, ' completely accessible, without every ceasing to be profound; a man who ranged audaciously far and wide in the realms of thought, but who always came back to home base, the psychology of the child. . . . His] ideas, too 'premature' to be fully understood in his lifetime, have proved crucial in the exciting coming together of psychoanalysis and developmental biology that is occurring today."--Oliver Sacks, M.D.
"Winnicott helped to bridge the gap for me between pediatrics and the dynamics of child development."--Benjamin Spock, M.D.
"The gentleman wrote powerfully, and with sensitivity, intelligence, and the fruits of many years of experience."--Burton White, Ph.D.
"What I find most enjoyable is Winnicott's] enthusiastic, optimistic tone, his appreciation of a mother's natural talents, and the real pleasure he finds available to parents in rearing their young."--Marshall Klaus, M.D.

Introduction by T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201626985
• ISBN13: 9780201626988
• Release Date: April 1994
• Publisher: Balance
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Easy-to-read book from a great psychologist

These are a set of collected articles, many of them transcripts of radio talks given by Winnicott, who is one of the best regarded child psychologists in the UK. I bought this shortly after the birth of our daughter, our first child, and expect to return to it a lot in the coming years. Basically, Winnicott talks about how to introduce the word "no" to your child, and that although you may never be as good a parent as you want to be, often genuinely wanting to be a good parent is enough. That's what I got from the first reading - I will read it again, several times, and expect that both I and my daughter will benefit a lot from it. It is easy to read, with gentle humour, by a man who really cares about children and their parents.