Call me stupid or call me naive, I have rarely read a book on child rearing or child psychology.
I have been watching our daughter's growth with a lot of interest, making notes, wondering why she does things one way or the other, wondering why she does not do certain things, etc. I was trying to teach her to kick a ball at an age she could not even stand on one leg. At that time, I was wondering how I could get her to kick instead of wondering how to get her to balance on one foot (even for a second). Later on, when she started balancing on one foot, I realized the pattern and how kids grow. Maybe, if I had read a book on child development, it could have spared me the trouble. The same with fear. I always thought that if I don't teach her 'fear', then she will not know what fear is. I later learnt that it is one of the instincts that human beings develop as they grow. Upto a point, I could keep her bold about anything, but one day she did develop fear for one thing or the other. There are two ways to raise a child: the textbook way, figuring out everything that is going to happen and having a plan for shaping the growth, or taking life as it comes and enjoying it and shaping things based on your instinct and values. I have a feeling the latter is better in a lot of ways.
Or, maybe I will go pick a book on child psychology/rearing and read it tonight, and channel my energy on more important things than learning things the hard way...