For half a century, the Nikitin family has acquired legends and labels: “innovative teachers”, “authors of a system of non-traditional education”, “professional parents”, etc. L. A. Nikitina’s book destroys this stereotype. It is like a desperate attempt to break through to living people and show that all of us - both “famous” and “ordinary” - are equal and interesting to each other only by “making ourselves into people” (Dostoevsky). This is precisely why, in the author’s opinion, we can be close and needed to our children. The book includes the most complete author’s versions of three previously published books: “Father’s House” (1982), “I’m Learning to Be a Mother” (1983–1998) and article “I am learning to be a grandmother” (2008), prepared on the basis of conversations with Lena Alekseevna.