School Zone Mentality: Raise Thriving Kids by Slowing Down in Five Everyday Zones

Parenting today feels harder than ever, bombarded by conflicting advice and cultural norms that feel...off. Our kids are struggling. We're struggling. Surely there's a better way to raise thriving kids!

Sociologist and fellow parent Natalie Gonzalez takes us on a crash course to discover the kind of childhood our kids really need. Drawing on modern insights from child-development experts, neuroscientists, psychologists, and others, you'll discover what children require to grow optimally, as well as what to avoid. (Spoiler alert: Most of our cultural defaults get it wrong.)

We've got to pump the brakes on a status quo that leaves children sick, sad, and stressed.

Just as we slow down and pay extra attention in school zones to keep kids safe, we need to heed the signals at everyday opportunities and proceed with caution. The School Zone Mentality is an invitation to slow down in five key "Zones"-Diet/Food, Sleep, Media, Schedules, and Stuff-to raise children of all ages.

Think of this book as your nerdy little parenting sherpa-with a dash of sarcastic cheerleader-curating decades of data points and expert advice into clear, actionable interventions that actually work, course correcting the future for those we love.