The child in the family refers to the newborn – in the early years of life – and is primarily aimed at parents. Dr. Montessori, besides describing her proposal for a parent school here, touches on difficult topics in such a way that surprises the reader right where they least expect it, with her bold conclusions.

She invites parents to reassess their deeper intentions in their relationship with the newborn. She speaks about the violence that this small infant suffers from well-meaning parents, who nonetheless fail to recognize and respect the human personality developing close to them.

Our incessant interventions, our inconsistencies, and our claims that “we know what is good” for the child blind us and prevent us from seeing what the child itself is trying to tell us – what nature has decided. As an inevitable consequence, conflict arises, and Dr. Montessori believed that this conflicting relationship is the main characteristic of our interaction with the children we love so much.