An award-winning scientist offers his unorthodox approach to childrearing: "Parentology is brilliant, jaw-droppingly funny, and full of wisdom...bound to change your thinking about parenting and its conventions" (Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother).

If you're like many parents, you might ask family and friends for advice when faced with important choices about how to raise your kids. You might turn to parenting books or simply rely on timeworn religious or cultural traditions. But when Dalton Conley, a dual-doctorate scientist and full-blown nerd, needed...