Parenting Books That I Have Been Loving
As a therapist specializing in helping children and families, I rely a lot on research and books to help me help families understand their children more. I wanted to share a few books that I have been loving lately.
Good Inside: A Practical Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Becky Kennedy
Throughout the book, Dr. Becky goes into different approaches to how to respond to your child with strategies that you can implement right away that will allow you to work with your child more confidently. Each part goes into parenting principles and building connection and addressing certain behaviors that are showing up ranging from tantrums to building confidence.
No-Drama Discipline by Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson go into detail about how connecting and then redirecting is essential to change unwanted behaviors that are occurring. They teach readers how to connect with their children and create an understanding of why a connection is essential for behaviors to improve. There are short-term benefits, long-term benefits, and relational benefits to building a connection with your child in times when it can be tricky. They also explain how the next step is redirection and expresses the appropriate strategies that will make a lasting impact.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Throughout this book, the authors, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish provide useful tips and techniques that parents can use to help their relationship grow with their children. They offer ways to help the child deal with their feelings as well. Often, children need to be listened to and validated. This helps us open up and talk about the problem that is happening and allows us to cope with the bigger feelings that are present. The authors also teach us how to engage in cooperation at home without as many negative feelings, find alternatives to punishment, encourage autonomy, and free children from playing roles.
Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD: A Scientifically Proven Program for Parents
Parenting an anxious child can be challenging and come with a lot of unknowns about how to help your child in the best way possible. This book teaches parents how to help their children’s anxiety by changing the way that they react to their children’s symptoms. The author gives parents an idea of how to respond to their children’s difficulties and how to best support their child through talk and acceptance, which then helps children gain the confidence needed to thrive.
The Whole-Brain Child by Dan Siegel
The Whole-Brain Child is based on neuroscience and provides parents with a set of skills to handle challenges in everyday life. This book explains how children’s brains work and goes into detail about each of the brain’s integration processes (there are 5!). This book gives useful strategies on how to make sure that our child’s brain is online in order to help them feel more regulated. Throughout the book, the authors the importance of understanding the brain, which then helps parents be more intentional about teaching and parenting their child.
