What I’m loving lately: parenting edition
Hey folks, I’m doing something a little different today and sharing some of my favorite things related to parenting. Some of these are newer discoveries and some are perennial recommendations that many of my clients have found helpful. Before we go on, I need to tell you that as an Amazon Associate I earn a little bit from qualifying purchases made via the links in this post.
Books
No Bad Kids by Janet Landsbury
Janet comes out of the world of RIE parenting, which is a gentle and connected approach to parenting and communicating with children starting in infancy. I find her work fascinating, challenging, and supportive. This book shares a different way of thinking about the “bad” behavior of young children and helps parents look at the motivations behind the behavior. She encourages parents to examine their own reactions to these behaviors and recognize the ways they are perpetuating negative cycles in their homes. She also offers practical suggestions for ways to adjust how we discipline our young children to bring about the behaviors we want to see.
Ready, Set, Breathe by Carla Naumburg, PhD
I’m always talking to my clients about mindfulness, and this is an excellent book to help you bring these concepts into daily family life. Dr. Naumburg writes in a really approachable style about the concept of mindfulness and how we and our children can benefit from mindfulness practices. There are simple activities to try throughout the book, and an excellent resource section in the back with suggestions for picture books on these topics, further mindful parenting reading, and apps you can use to bring more mindfulness to your everyday life.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
This one goes with last week’s post about supporting kids through difficult emotions, and it’s a classic. It was first published in 1980 but has had a new edition with a lot of updates published in 2012. I love this book for the straightforward style that covers the basics of an authoritative rather than authoritarian parenting style. If you were raised with yelling and spanking and are looking for an alternative, this is an excellent starting point.
Podcasts
Motherhood Sessions
This is my newest discovery and only has 3 episodes so far, but it is SO GOOD! It’s hosted by Dr. Alexandra Sacks, a therapist who specializes in working with pregnant women and new parents. Because of the importance of safety and confidentiality, the people she talks to on the podcast are not her clients, but they do come to her with some of the same kinds of difficulties and questions. These are challenging topics for sure. So far Dr. Sacks has covered co-parenting with an ex, maternal ambivalence, and anxiety about adding a second child. I love her grounded, supportive, no BS approach with the moms on the show. It’s also a great behind the curtain look at what a therapy session is like.
https://gimletmedia.com/shows/motherhood-sessions
Mom and Dad are Fighting
This parenting podcast produced by Slate is a more typical panel discussion/advice-giving show with predictable segments. What I appreciate most about it is the personalities of the hosts, two dads and a mom, who are funny, insightful, and thoughtful about their own parenting struggles. They each offer a different perspective based on their own upbringing, where they live, the ages of their children, and their relationship history. Two of the hosts are divorced, one is remarried and has a stepdaughter, two have teens, one lives in New York City, one in the rural northeast, and one on the west coast. Each week they share a recent parenting triumph or fail, often with great hilarity. They answer listener questions, and sometimes there’s a short interview. Then they always end with a recommendation segment.
https://slate.com/human-interest/mom-and-dad-are-fighting
One Bad Mother
I discovered this podcast, produced by Maximum Fun, about six months after I gave birth to our son, and I distinctly remember saying to my husband that I had found my tribe. The women who host this show, Biz Ellis and Theresa Thorn, are so honest about parenthood and all of its ups and downs. They are such models for how we can have wildly differing kids and parenting styles and still get along and be friends with one another. One of the mottos of the show is “Less Judging, More Laughing,” and they brand the podcast as a comedy podcast about parenting. In every episode they each share a recent genius and a recent fail and play genius and fail calls from listeners. They discuss a topic and share their perspectives on it. Past topics include: Tattling, Glitter, Family Game Night, and Lunch Box Guilt. They will often do a guest interview with someone in the parenting arena and always end the show with a “rant” called in by a listener. That part is more fun, or at least more cathartic, than it sounds!
https://maximumfun.org/shows/one-bad-mother
Bonus Thing
Momma Strong
If you are looking for a way to prepare your body to give birth or heal physically and get your body moving again after giving birth, this is it. Momma Strong is an online fitness program created by Courtney Wyckoff who is a Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist. She has been exclusively working with pre- and postnatal women for the last 9 years. The monthly membership fee is $5 and includes daily workout videos, live Q&A sessions, and a closed Facebook group for added support. If you want an inexpensive and powerful way to care for yourself physically, I highly recommend!
Take Care,
Meghan
PS: Let me know if you like this kind of post. I’d love to share more of my faves centered around other themes. Please also tell me if you’ve read or listened to any of these things and whether you enjoyed them or not!