Understanding your child’s unique nature for happier, more effective parenting
The provocative, science-based approach to parenting, from an award-winning developmental psychology professor & researcher.
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There’s no one right way to parent.
Most parenting advice puts the behaviors of mom & dad at the center of raising a “good” child.
But The Child Code clues us into one fundamental biological fact: genetics affects every single aspect of human behavior, and each child is uniquely coded with predispositions that influence everything from fearfulness to impulsivity to their propensity to throw huge fits at the grocery store!
Simplify parenting & remove a little pressure by understanding how your child is wired.
Based in developmental behavior genetics research from award-winning professor Danielle Dick, The Child Code debunks the myth that parenting techniques alone determine your child’s behavior & future—and shows you a more effective way of raising your family.
This is powerful, science-driven parenting that helps your child grow into the best version of themself.
Each chapter unpacks the science behind this unique approach, and provides the practical, individualized strategies for navigating your kiddo’s challenges and nurturing their strengths.
The end result? Less friction in your family, a happier child, and a strong foundation for their future successes.
What experts & parents are saying about The Child Code
"It's the missing piece that parents need!"
—Cheri A., mother of two
“What to do when nothing works—for your particular kid! I love this book for its mix and match approach to applying practical advice in so many familiar situations that truly helps you take your child’s needs into account. When you’re struggling, this book will help.”
—KJ Dell-Antonia, author of The Chicken Sisters and How to Be a Happier Parent
“A fascinating read with practical solutions. In The Child Code, Dr. Danielle Dick brings her deep experience as both a parent and a scientist to reveal the powerful influence of genetics on a child’s behavior, and how this knowledge can help shape successful parenting strategies.”
—Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety
"Grounded in science, but fun to read! I understand my children in a whole new way."
—Gretchen W., mother of two
Dr. Danielle Dick is an award-winning researcher who wants to simplify parenting through science.
When she's not spending time with her husband and two children, she studies the surprising ways that our genes shape our lives—from child behavior, to addiction, to mental health, and so much more.
Based on two decades of experience working at the intersection of psychology and genetics, she applies the rapidly-advancing knowledge of how genes and environments interact to help individuals thrive.
Close your eyes, and imagine your child.
No, not the small person refusing to do homework. Or the one who threw a tantrum at the table because the pasta noodles were bowties rather than elbows.
The child you imagined.
Before you had children.
That child was probably a sweet peaceful baby snuggled up in your arms. An adorable toddler, head thrown back in laughter as you push them on a swing. Maybe they were going to grow up to be a star athlete, or class valedictorian. Maybe you dreamed of a college graduation, or wedding day, a blushing bride or a handsome groom. Point being, we all had ideas of who we wanted our children to be.
But the day to day of parenting is less about dreams and more about daily battles! Shoes that your child refuses to put on, precluding you from even making it out the door to the park. Sulking at the dinner table. That fun family trip? Four hours of your child kicking the back of your seat and telling you they don’t want to go.
Why is it so hard to shape our children into the dreamy human beings we imagined?!
There’s certainly no shortage of advice for parents. There are parenting classes, parenting blogs, parenting podcasts, parenting magazines, parenting books, parenting workshops. There are your mother-in-law’s ideas about how to handle discipline, and your best friend’s tips for sleep training.The overwhelming amount of information is staggering enough, but even worse - much of it conflicts!
Human beings have been raising children for millennia; how can it be that we don’t have this all figured out? The more important question for you as a parent is how to sort through often contradictory guidance to decide what is best.
Why is parenting so darn hard?
It turns out there is a simple answer to that question. The reason parenting is so challenging is that all of that well-meaning advice from your parents and friends and pediatricians ignores one of the biggest factors that affects child development: genes.
Our high school biology classes didn’t give us the full story.
DNA doesn’t just code for brown eyes or blue, for curly or straight hair; it codes for our brains and our most basic outlook on life. It lays the foundation for our individual temperaments, our natural tendencies, and the unique way each of us interacts with the world.
Given the profound influence of genetics on individual behavior and development, there is no such thing as the “right way” to parent. There is only the “right way” to parent each individual child, and it’s only by understanding your child’s genetically shaped proclivities that you can guide your child toward becoming his or her best self and reduce the daily battles.
The Child Code is about how to figure out that “right way” for your child, based on their unique genetic make-up. It’s about reducing your stress by helping you cut through piles of information to figure out what really matters (and what doesn’t!).
I’m a scientist who studies genetics and child behavior, and, more importantly, I’m a parent. I’ve been in the trenches, and it was my knowledge of the research behind what really influences human behavior that saved my sanity. I wrote The Child Code to share this knowledge and to help make your life easier too.
Parenting can be hard. We don’t need to make it harder by working against mother nature.
Great parenting isn’t about shaping our kids from scratch. It’s about adapting our strategies to the ways they’re already wired.
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