Nature Meets Nurture: Science-Based Strategies for Raising Resilient Kids

by Stacey N. Doan, Dr. Jessica L. Borelli PhD

Every parent has pondered "nature vs. nurture" questions. How much of my child's personality and behavior is inborn? How much is learned? This important book, written by behavioral scientists who are also mothers, has answers. 

This book offers the best parenting practices to foster resilience by encouraging children’s social-emotional development and adaptive stress-regulation strategies. The authors translate scientific research into concrete, actionable tips and recommendations to help promote the emotional wellbeing of both child and parent.

Authors Stacey N. Doan and Jessica Borelli offer a science-based framework to help show parents and guardians how biology and parenting work together. Although genetics are significant, DNA is not destiny--the die is not cast at birth. Parenting still matters, deeply. Cutting-edge epigenetics research and other recent scientific insights are explained to show that biology and parenting behavior are integrally intertwined.

Increasingly competitive schools, looming threats of climate change, and the Covid-19 pandemic have sent many parents' anxiety spiraling out of control. This affects their kids, creating a recurring cycle of stress and worry. This book is here to help.

Genres: Parenting, Psychology, Family, Nonfiction

350 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2022

Reviews

[Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for parents of young children or parents getting ready to have children. The concepts are solid, good reminders of some of the issues to think about as we raise kids. I (Carey) did not love the choice of the authors to constantly identify which author was speaking of their experience, it completely distracted me (Carey) and I didn’t feel like it added anything to the reader’s (your) experience to know.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors here really worked to use their professional expertise (they have a lot) and their personal experiences as mothers to make an accessible parenting "guide" that relies on the most recent psychological and epigenetic research.

It was definitely accessible and personal. And there was a lot of solid information. It may have felt a little too simplified in places, though. They end every chapter with a "tl;dr" section that almost undermined the whole chapter by making it feel like it somehow could be distilled into tiny little sound-bites.

This is probably most helpful for new parents or parents of very young children, as only a little of the info was relevant to older children (once we've already missed the sweet spots and probably ruined them). I'm not sure it's the first one I'd recommend, but it has its place for those thinking about what effect someone might actually have on their children as they grow (more than some have argued).

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I found it very informative and fun to read! It is science based with a great deal of practical and applicable advice to the reader, as a parent. The coauthors are also parents themselves and I loved reading about their experiences through parenting. The books addresses nature and nurture, while also diving into the fact that due to epigenetics, it is less clear cut than originally thought. This book is up to date with current research on the subject and also includes some findings in their own studies, as they both work in this field. Overall, a wonderful and intrugiuing book that was hard to put down!

[Gabrielle Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

"DNA is not destiny--the die is not cast at birth"

The book Nature Meets Nurture is a good, scientific look at the current climate and issues that parents are facing when raising resilient children. There are so many outside forces and "woo" recommendations these days, but Doan and Borelli take data to drive their findings in this guide to parenting. As a PhD in childhood development, I prefer to read science-based books. I liked how this had science and "real life" or "practical" advice sprinkled throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book for my honest review.

[Heather Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is good, I just wish I would’ve had a chance to read it when my kids were much younger. The focus was really on birth to age 5-6. I wanted lessons in parenting that would build resiliency in older kids. I’m finding a drought of information for school age and adolescents…

[JL Salty]

6/24
Dnf
Wrong audience: this book is for parents and teachers of young kids. It may be a great book for that audience ;)
Maybe I’ll return to it someday?

[Dale Donckels]

This book is full of practical, accessible advice for parents. The authors weave back and forth from describing science to talking about relatable anecdotes, bringing their words to life.

[Bryan Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for me. Equal parts academic and personal storytelling.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and American Psychological Association for the ARC!

As a mom of two young sons, I really enjoy reading parenting books to explore different perspectives and to better equip myself to be the parent that I want to be. This book has a lot of really helpful information and I haven't even fully finished it yet! The authors recommend taking your time reading through each chapter and I really appreciate all of the evidence and research that they share. I also loved that they put a TLDR at the end of every chapter and acknowledge that they know how busy parenting can get so sometimes a quick summary is helpful! They also present a lot of really practical advice and this is definitely a book that I will keep coming back to!