Books for Parenting

Hopefully our kids don't get  "broken", but ALL NORMAL kids run into "rough patches".  And, if we know a little bit about "how they work", we're more likely to be able to help them, these beautiful persons that we love so much, during these times.

There are three books I recommend all parents read.  They are informing AND entertaining.

This is a month by month review of the developmental progress of the first year of life.  Written by a pediatrician, the book follows three children (an active baby, a quiet baby, and an "average" baby) as they grow and change before their parents' eyes.  Most parents will be helped by knowing if their child is meeting  expected milestones as well as having an idea "what will come next" for their baby.

A literate, entertaining review of how the minds of young children work.

It explores how they develop mind skills, the emotional challenges all children face, and how healthy children overcome the challenges.

Two of the biggest emotional difficulties all humans face, young and old, are

Fraiberg brilliantly describes how children use PLAY to deal with problems they are dealing with and how parents can help them function well.

This is a challenging Parenting book, but SO WORTH the effort!

It also reviews how parents can help a child with fears and misbehavior.  But it's non-traditional because it asks the parent to think for him/herself about why the child is HAVING the problem.  That can be hard work, but very satisfying, and likely to help because even if you don't get the exact answer, the effort, love and faith you show in your child helps them.  He does give specific tips about how to get into your child's head, and he warns not to blindly follow "expert's" advice, because NO ONE can know your child as well as YOU do.