We have finally reached the last volume of this collection!! This trip that began in March 2014, It's been more than 6 years! today begins its final stretch with “Guide for parents”. This book, unique in being entirely dedicated to parents and not children, became for many families a reference for upbringing, conflict resolution and identification of health problems.
My main memories of this book are somewhat unpleasant, since when looking at it, the images that most captured my childhood curiosity were the graphic photographs of disease symptoms. The photograph included with the article on thrush or oral yeast infection, managed to turn my stomach for a long time.
I guess my parents also pried through this volume on more than one occasion to find insights on emotional or behavioral difficulties as we grew up.. Some of the articles it contains, They began to interest me during my preteen years, especially those related to differences in behavior between girls and boys and curiosity about romantic relationships.
Today, to my 40 years and with three children I feel that a new cycle of El Mundo de los Niños is closing, in which I will take advantage of the rise in the articles of volume No. 15 to review parenting and health concepts, that are surely still valid. I know that most readers of the work, who belong to my generation will also want to do the same to guide their little ones.
However, I must warn that many things in the world have changed in recent 40 – 50 years and therefore the advice in the book must be taken with a grain of salt, especially regarding breeding techniques, mental difficulties and health issues. This book is an informational guide only and should NOT be used to make medical or therapeutic decisions..
Apart from the above it is recommended to be careful with the images that this section contains as they can be offensive for some people and impressive for the little ones.
No more, I leave you with the valuable content of Guide for parents.
Regards!
Manuel
This volume of The children's World is intended to assist parents in carrying out their homework. It is divided into four parts–1) Growth and development. 2) Special guidance. 3) Medical guide. 4) General guide and index.
The part dedicated to growth and development describes the successive transformations of the child, from birth to puberty. This description helps to understand the problems posed by the child and to solve them at any stage of their development.
The second part deals with issues that affect parents and children at the same time; issues such as choosing the right person to care for the child, the difficulties faced by the working mother, the child's first movements, its growth, etc. It also deals with problems of a special nature that fortunately only affect some parents, for example, mental or physical abnormalities and addiction to drugs.
The medical guide contains more than 200 articles dealing with health, child safety and well-being. The articles are arranged alphabetically to facilitate their use in a fast and efficient way.
The last part is a guide and index to The children's World.
The editors have sought the cooperation of more than 25 doctors, psychiatrists, educators and dentists. The result of all this work is a body of knowledge that, we believe, help parents understand their child's behavior and gain confidence to guide them through the crucial years of adulthood.
I really liked reading this book, although it was supposedly dedicated to parents.
It must be said however, that virtually no advice on adolescent development, the sexuality, sexual orientation or other topics are appropriate today. Do not forget that it is a collection developed in the United States over the years 60 (Childcraft) and translated into Spanish in the 60 and the 70. Possibly when it was being published in Spain at the end of the 70 and early 80 it was already out of date for the United States for certain issues. In any case, It is a very illustrative book to see how societies advance and we have become much more tolerant of diversity in western societies.
And, that last point is very interesting: This work illustrates how societies have evolved.
I remember that volume a lot, I read it in my preteens. In my personal opinion, It seems to me that some specific concepts of parenting are relatively valid. Clear, as well noted in the comments and introduction, a more thorough and technical reading uncovers some differences with respect to the current era, which would prevent a psychologist (a) contemporary is fully recommended as a fundamental guide. Finally, I extend my congratulations to those who started this beautiful project that allows, further, that the new generations know in detail a wonderful work.