Before Alfie Kohn, Pam Leo, Naomi Aldort, or many of the other consensually living authors of our time, there was Dr. Haim Ginott. Ginott revolutionized the parenting and psychology worlds with his new philosophy on communicating with children. His book, Between Parent and Child, was on the national best seller list for over a year when it was written in 1965. While... Continue Reading →
Most parents want their children to be equipped to handle life when they are grown. The skills needed to do this are ones that we can help them with right now. Rather than handling situations for them, and hence taking responsibility for our children, we can show responsibility to our children by helping them to problem solve and handle conflicts on... Continue Reading →
For families who are living differently from mainstream America, it can often be difficult to find children's books which reflect our own values. Emery Bernhard has a lovely book entitled A Ride on Mother's Back: A Day of Baby Carrying Around the World which appeals to attachment parenting families everywhere. The book takes a look... Continue Reading →
Today is my youngest niece's first birthday. As part of her birthday gift, I was looking for the board book version of Vicki Churchill and Charles Fuge's book, Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball. This has been a favorite book at our house through the years. I think we are on our second or third copy.... Continue Reading →
In her book Positive Discipline, Jane Nelsen approaches the topics of gentle and non-punitive parenting from an Adlerian point of view. She introduces the four R's of punishment - resentment, revenge, rebellion, and retreat - and focuses her version of positive discipline as one which works toward mutually acceptable goals and solutions. The book has a lot of good information... Continue Reading →
My 7 year old has a loose tooth. It isn't terribly loose, so I don't think it will be coming out for quite some time, but it is loose none-the-less. The first loose tooth is a sign of coming change. My child is growing up. It's new and exciting and bittersweet. We weren't certain what... Continue Reading →
Sometimes parents get so caught up in the physical acts of parenting, that they forget about the emotional acts of parenting. Becky Bailey presents the idea of making rituals in order to reconnect with our children in her book I Love You Rituals. While much of the book is targeted to parents and caregivers with young children, I... Continue Reading →
Novel Obsession 