Hunt, Gather, Parent: Raising Happy, Healthy, Little Humans

Parenting is a deeply personal journey, one that award-winning NPR producer and science reporter Michaeleen Doucleff, Ph.D. thought she wasn’t getting quite right. Mornings with her toddler Rosy were chaotic; evenings were stressful and often filled with tears. But while on assignment as a reporter in the Yucatan, she witnessed something too good to be true: a young child helping around the house unprompted and un-applauded. Could this really be? A cooperative and confident kid helping around the house?

Dr. Doucleff’s 2019 NPR story on how Inuit parents control anger was a viral hit; with over three million page views it struck a chord with harried parents in the United States. It also inspired Dr. Doucleff to keep learning from hunter-gatherer communities, eventually bringing her back to the Yucatan to study cooperation between Maya moms and their kids; to the Inuit above the Arctic Circle; and to Tanzania, where Hadzabe children ranging from newborns to preteens live autonomously among other adult community members, feeling accomplished and confident in their contributions to their family. And she does it all with rambunctious and (sometimes) out-of-control Rosy in tow!

What Dr. Doucleff witnessed was a form of parenting likely practiced all over the world for well over 250,000 years. Coined “TEAM parenting” by Dr. Doucleff, it includes four tenets that are still the norm in hunter-gatherer families across all livable continents: Togetherness; Encouragement; Autonomy; and Minimal Interference. Her brand-new book, the New York Times bestseller Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans, offers more than just tools for raising happier children — it gives support and space for the overworked parent of today.

In 2015, Dr. Doucleff was part of the team that earned a George Foster Peabody award for its coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. As a science journalist, she has reported on a broad range of topics, from vaccination fears and the microbiome to beer biophysics and dog psychology.

Before coming to NPR in 2012, Dr. Doucleff was an editor at the journal Cell, where she wrote about the science behind pop culture. She has a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Berkeley, California, a master’s degree in viticulture and enology from the University of California, Davis, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Caltech.

Dr. Doucleff will be in conversation with Heidi Stevens, the “Balancing Act” columnist for the Chicago Tribune and co-host of “On Purpose,” a weekly podcast with John Duffy, Psy.D. (FAN ’20).

This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available later on our website and YouTube channel.

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BONUS AFTER-HOURS EVENT: Attendees who purchase a copy of Hunt, Gather, Parent from FAN’s partner bookseller The Book Stall are invited to attend an AFTER-HOURS event hosted by Dr. Doucleff and Ms. Stevens that will start immediately after the webinar. Details on the webinar registration page.