I don't read parenting books. Having said this, can anyone recommend any
sensible ones (Catholic or generic) on parenting toddlers?? Or if not, could fellow-bloggers ask for recommendations from their readers? Thanks! This is blogging-as-support group, I think. . .
5 comments:
I have a challenging toddler myself. I like Harvey Karp's _The Happiest Toddler on the Block_. It's about how to talk to a toddler (ages 1 to 4) so that she understands what you are saying to her and describes a time-out method of discipline. The down side to it is that the methods can be a little embarrassing to carry out in public (but no more embarrassing than a screaming temper tantrum). He also suggests the counting to three method, but that backfired on me because I ended up counting to three every time I told her to do something. The book covers sharing, separation anxiety, tantrums, potty training, siblings--all the usual little kid problems--and it's fairly short. I'm not as devoted to it as I am to his baby book, but it is helpful.
I found Tracy Hogg's Baby Whisperer a great help with my oldest, and then I found out that she had one for toddlers, and I found it to be a help again. Wish you lived closer...I'd come right over and let you borrow them! In fact...email me your address. I'll mail them off! (No, really.)
Since my first child was born, I used - and continue to use - Penelope Leach's _Your Baby & Child: From Birth to Five Years_ (she published a revised edition in 1997)for several reasons. Most importantly, because it really is one of the few parenting books (on babies, toddlers, or otherwise) that doesn't have a specific "method" or "agenda," and it doesn't have the sort of judgmental attitude that many other parenting books have. I have the old edition, and even when I was 22 I was struck by how common sense Leach's discussions are. The book covers just about everything: from basic infant care to early childhood education, without being *too much*. Also, Leach has been studying babies, toddlers, and children for decades now, yet still doesn't come off as trying to be "The Expert." Instead, she often describes several different ways of doing something, then reminds the reader that the ultimate decision belongs to the parent.
Another unique quality in her approach is that the book is centered on the child's perspective (not that of society or the medical community). She makes it a point to described situations from a child's point of view, using their logic (or lack thereof) to describe their behavior and the subsequent parental response.
You can read reviews of this work and her other books at Amazon.com to get a better idea of her writing style and scope. But, this is the only parenting book I've ever read that didn't leave me feeling like I'd just been "told" exactly what to do. Rather, I felt like I'd been given options, ones that I could add to my own experience and instinct in order to determine a response.
Good luck!
Thanks, Sarah, Sarah, and Academama. I will look at these! :)
I have read SO many parenting books (too many) and the only one that ever really helped me, that I think of often, is Dr. Ray Guarendi's You're a Better Parent Than You Think. He's Catholic, although the book is targeted at a wide audience. I can't recommend it highligh enough. It's so reasonable -- he doesn't advocate for a "one size fits all" parenting philosophy, but rather gives parents the tools to enforce what they think is best.
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