My daughter is only 6th months so I know in many ways I am getting ahead of myself but that is how I am! I would love to read some good, quality books on the how tos of raising children. I have read everything under the sun about sleep, so I suppose it is time to move on to real parenting since she is beginning to understand me. I looking for a book that might explain why kids behave the way they do, and how best to respond in order to raise sensible, healthy, wonderful adults (isn't that every mothers goal?). I know I am going to be caught many times in the future without the correct responses (I am a teacher, so totally use to this!) but at this point I would at least like a resource. Point me in some good directions.
anything by dr sears is great. www.askdrsears.com - you can get his books used on amazon or something too. :) hes AWESOME!
also, the happiest baby on the block and the happiest toddler on the block are great as well!
I like "Positive Parenting from birth to 3 years" by Alvin Eden M.D. you're not too early! This one starts early! I'm like you too. I teach EBD kids so I'm doing all I can now to have happy healthy kids. I read teenage parenting advice all the time :).
"Unconditional Parenting" Alfie Kohn
It is more about realizing & responding to why kids do things. Not trying to mold them into these perfect little adults. Kids are kids and act accordingly. It's really not about "training" a child to act like you think s/he should, it's more about treating children with the respect they deserve. Check it out at the library. I refer to my copy quite frequently.
I read a lot of parenting books for work. Here are my favorite parenting books from infancy through adolescence. Obviously, some will be for much further down the road!
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2004). Caring for your baby and young child, revised edition: Birth to age 5. New York: Bantam.
Douglas, A. (2004). The mother of all toddler books. New York: Wiley.
Reichlin, G. & Winkler, C. (2001). The Pocket Parent. New York: Workman Publishing Company.
Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5 to 12 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
How to Discipline Your 6 to 12-year-old Without Losing Your Mind by Barbara C. Unell and Jerry Wyckoff
Bashe, P. (2003). Caring for your teenager (2nd ed.). New York: Bantam.
Steinberg, L. & Levine, a. (1997). You and your adolescent: Parent's guide for ages 10-20 (2nd ed.). New York: Collins Living.
Walsh, D. (2005). Why do they act that way?: A survival guide to the adolescent brain for you and your teen. New York: Free Press.
Faber, A. & Mazlish, E. (1999). How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk. New York: Harper Collins.
Forehand, R. & Long, N. (2002). Parenting the strong-willed child: The clinically proven five-week program for parents of two- to six-year-olds. New York: Contemporary Books.
Clark, L. & Robb, J. (1996). SOS! Help for parents: A practical guide for handling common everyday behavior problems (2nd ed.). Bowling Green, KY: Parents Press.
Kazdin, A. E. (2008). The Kazdin method for parenting the defiant child: With no pills, no therapy, no contest of wills. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Phelan,T. W. (1996). 1-2-3 magic: Effective discipline for children 2-12 (2nd ed.). Glen Ellyn, IL: Child Management.
The Mother of all Parenting Books by Ann Douglas.
"Parents" magazine is great.
I subscribed to it since I had my first child.
many current info etc. on all topics regarding kids/Moms etc., current information
www.parents.com
is the website.
good luck,
Susan
Wow - you've gotten so many good suggestions, K.. You'll be reading until she's all grown up :-). Thought I'd add my favorites: any parenting book by Dr. Ray Guarendi, a psychologist who is parenting/has parented 10 "problem" foster children - talk about the voice of experience! www.drray.com.
Blessings,
A.
Michael and Debi Pearl have great books. Visit NoGreaterJoy.org. You can read articles by clicking on "child training" or order their book from their book store called "To Train Up A Child" I think they have 3-4 volumes. You can also subscribe to their magazines for free...
I love Gary Ezzo's books about parenting. Becoming BabyWise on up. I have found a lot of value in them. I have a 3 and 6 year olds - both girls and both were sleeping through the night at 2 months and take naps. The oldest until she was in Kinder and they youngest still takes them. I found a lot of good ideas to address each stage of their lives and the changes. It is close enough to an owners manual that I have found.
From a different angle: "Parenting from the Inside Out" by Daniel Seigal talks about optimal environment for normal brain development, and it will help you understand adults (primarily yourself) as well as children. Also Mark Brady has some wonderful book on those things to. You can get a sampler on his blog: http://committedparent.wordpress.com/2009/07/
"Happiest Toddler on the Block"
"How Much Is Enough? Everything you need to know to steer clear of overindulgence and raise likeable, responsible and respectful children - from toddlers to teens" by Jean Illsley Clarke and "NO: Why kids - of all ages - need to hear it and ways parents can say it" by David Walsh are two of the best books out there - they really make you think about what direction you want to take with your kids and their lives. It's not just all about getting through today, you have to think to the future!
Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
"Kids, Parents and Power Struggles"
"Raising Your Spirited Child"
"Sleepless in America"
http://www.parentchildhelp.com/
She lives in the Twin Cities and you can actually hire her to come to your house and work with your family if you have an intractable issue. She taught in ECFE for years - you'll recognize the "parenting classes" she talks about in her books as ECFE classes.
And YES go to ECFE. Different sites have different styles, so if you don't click with one site, try another. (I hear that ECFE in St. Paul can be quite different from ECFE in Minneapolis.)
Get connected with your local ECFE--many have free libraries with lots of these books, and can even direct you to specific ones to solve certain problems.
Some of my faves:
-"Touchpoints" by Berry Brazelton (it's an older one, but SOOOOO helpful for us, even still, and our oldest is 6)
-1-2-3 Magic
-The Happiest Baby/Toddler on the Block
And as they get older, Alfie Kohn books are great.
Although they're a little dated, I like the series of books by Louise Bates Ames and Frances L. Ilg beginning with Your One-Year-Old, and continuing through Your Nine-Year-Old, then Your Ten-to-Fourteen-Year-Old. I find these books describe a lot of typical development patterns and behaviors.
I also like the book The Five Love Languages of Children, by Gary Chapman
library has some good books, children dont come with manuals so, so dont read to much into how to do a good job it pretty much, just happens with love, patience, kindness, guidance and never stop talking to them and always listen....... happy st. pattys day
I have read more parenting books than I can recall and my favorite is "Seven Habits of Highly Successful Families" by Steven Covey.
Good luck,
S.
First of all, kudos to you for being "on top of things" and wanting to learn all about parenting and how/why kids behave the way they do :)
As a teacher, I think you would appreciate a GREAT parenting book that explains why kids do what they do, as it teaches parents (and teachers) about effective discipline, since really you are not that far off - (meaning by the time you are done reading this book, you'll then be "prepared" for the upcoming discipline challenges that a child 1 year and older will inevitably present to you.) This book is an up-to-date version of what "really" works, and is written by a well-known child development expert named Dr. Becky Bailey. Please see this website for more details: www.consciousdiscipline.com (The book I am referring to is called "Conscious Discipline" and it only costs around $20... Definitely the best $20 I ever spent to get invaluable parenting information!!!)
Good Luck! ~ Take Care!
Look at www.oneweekparentingmiracle.com. I think you'll like it!
Of all the parenting books I've read so far, I liked 1,2,3 Magic (as mentioned by another post), The Difficult child by Stanley Tureki, The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, and The Secrets of the Toddler Whisperer both by Tracy Hogg. I'm a teacher too and I think 1,2,3 Magic and the Difficult Child should be required reading for teachers. The Difficult Child is a lot about temperment which I found very helpful with my four year old. I've been using 1,2,3 Magic since he was about18-24 months old and it works fairly well. The Baby Whisperer and Toddler Whisperer were a lot about understanding your baby and toddler. It also deals with temperment but not to the extent that Difficult Child does.
I had/have the same desire to be a good parent and have done some reading. Here are some books that I liked. I really liked "Sheperding A Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp. It was wonderful because it was about connecting with their little heart and soul and training that part of them, not simply putting them inside a box of rules to follow of does and don'ts to control their behavior. Also, very beneficial and practical was a book called "Boundaries with Kids" by Cloud/Townsend. And I liked one called "How to Really Love Your Child". I don't recall the author. But, I remember that one included developmental things that were helpful to understand how kids think at what age, etc. Then it gave ideas of how to respond to them when they think concretely, or when they are finally old enough to put themselves in another persons' place and understand feelings. I really encourage you to read these books. They were excellent. If you had a boy, I'd recommend the book "Bringing Up Boys" by James Dobson. That was a gift to us when our son was born, and my husband was amazed when he read it and insisted I read it too since I'm from a family of girls and we had two daughters before our son arrived. I wish you the best.
ajw--mom of 3 (ages 6, 3 1/2, and 1 1/2)
