I really enjoyed Carl Honore's first book, In Praise of Slow, so when I heard that he was taking on the culture of "hyper-parenting" I knew I had to read more.
In Under Pressure, Honore visits schools and preschools that are taking a "slow" approach (including a totally outdoor preschool, which sounds amazing), along with looking at current research on how children learn and at the damage that hyper-parenting can actually do.
I found this book fascinating and I've been quoting it to fellow parents frequently since finishing it. It did actually make me rethink how I play and interact with my own son (although I was certainly already closer to "slow" than "hyper", mainly due to inherent laziness).
One of the things I loved about it was how honest Honore is in admitting that he's still struggling with the concept himself. After reading Slow, I imagined he'd become utterly relaxed and chilled and was totally living the slow life. Under Pressure shows that this isn't the case, but he is trying because he knows it's better for both him and his family. Read it and you won't doubt it either.
Rating: 4/5
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