Parenting Books

The first thing to know about parenting books – is that you have to take all of them with a grain of salt. Read the book, think about it, and decide what works for your family and what doesn’t. If some of it doesn’t work – that’s okay, use what does. The following posts list books and resources that I have found to be useful references for parents and children in my practice.

This is my all-time favorite parenting book. The ideas are simple, the approach is nurturing and respectful of children and parents.

There are great cartoons – which allow you to either get some ideas quickly or to review ideas later without having to read the whole book again. Sometimes I actually use the sentences suggested in the book like a script, especially at an emotionally intense moment when I might otherwise be at a loss for appropriate words.

Positive Discipline, by Jane Nelsen, is the behavioral parenting method I prefer.  All parenting methods are essentially designed to shape a child’s behavior.  This one, unlike several others that are very popular, is more nurturing.  It allows parents to be more emotionally present.  It also emphasizes the development of self-soothing skills.  This is the often neglected second step in parenting – the first being saying ‘no’ the second helping children mobilize their strengths to deal with the disappointment and frustration of ‘no’.

These books are definitely designed to stop hitting and yelling, but you don’t have to hit or yell to benefit from them.  Also helpful are Positive Discipline for Working Parents and Positive Discipline for Single Parents.

In the first editions the publisher created summary ‘boxes’ so if you need a quick start or quick refresher you don’t have to re-read the whole book.  These editions are still available through the Toronto Public Library system