We are not taught to be parents. Some adopt the experience of past generations (which, unfortunately, is not always successful), and some act intuitively, focusing on their feelings. But this is not enough to comprehend the whole world, which fits into a tiny man. Here is a selection useful for each parent. These are some of the best books on parenting, written by doctors, psychologists, or experienced parents. In the list, you will find recommendations for communication with children of all ages: from preschoolers to stubborn teenage rebels.
Many parents simply don’t have enough time or possibilities to prepare for everything that parenthood is offering. Luckily, the modern world offers a lot of help: moving services Spokane, food delivery, or useful book lists online.
By learning to better understand your child, you will not only be able to become calmer and more confident in every step but also gain the child’s authority without the use of force and humiliation. After all, as you know, when parents are calm, the child also calms down and listens to their opinions.
1. Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science (and What I’ve Learned So Far) by Tracy Cutchlow
Parenting books often describe the behavior of a child aged three and older. But in fact, education begins much earlier – from the first days of life. As practice shows, the age of zero to five is the most important for the establishment of values, understanding of emotions, and creating patterns of behavior. This book was written not by a psychologist but by an ordinary mother who, having studied the recommendations and basic modern research, was able to formulate basic rules for the care and upbringing of children in simple language.
2. Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn
Alfie Kohn is a psychologist who has spent a lot of time studying the US education system and its impact on personality development. He concluded that not only criticism but also praise from parents can lead to the child believing that they are loved only for their merits (and not for their failures). In fact, parents really need to show their children that they will always be able to receive unconditional love and support from them in all endeavors. Of course, this does not mean that a child cannot be praised or criticized. On the contrary, the author gives detailed recommendations that allow you to raise an independent and confident person, understand what “unconditional love” is, and find out how to express it.
3. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher
Are you looking for books on raising teenagers, and are you worried that it is too late to interfere in the formation of their personality? In fact, adolescence is still the same as childhood when the right behavior of parents can help the child become more confident and overcome all crises with minimal losses. There have always been too many demands on girls in society. And we want the modern generation to grow up healthier, without a painful obsession with beauty, without harassment and violence. In the book, you will find practical tips to help you become a support for your daughter, learn how to show empathy, and better understand such a chaotic and confusing world of teenagers.
4. The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey
Often, parents want to make their children’s lives completely carefree and hassle-free. But this does not contribute to the education of a strong and confident personality. On the contrary — by doing homework for children and taking away from them the slightest hint of independence, we grow light-hearted people who can not understand what they want from life. This is the central issue in Jessica Lahey’s book. The author urges parents to let go of control a little and trust their own children more. How to do it and be sure that they will cope? How to help a child survive failure and not give up? You will find the answers to all these questions on the pages of The Gift of Failure book.
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My books:
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
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Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
