Yvonne Eve Walus and N. D. Hansen-Hill discuss parenting books, and the developmental value of reading to children ranging from infancy to young adult. There is no exam that you are required to take, no license to be a parent. You rely on instinct, memories from your own childhood and copying what the neighbors are doing.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Novel-Origins/2009/02/25/Parenting-Books