There are about a million different parenting books but I narrowed them down to a solid list from friends and family. Enjoy!
Before you roll your eyes and skip right past this post, I’ve asked my nearest and dearest friends for their favorite parenting books. People whom I admire and respect as moms and dads. There are a lot of books out there seem to talk down or make you feel bad but the ones on this list are meant to give you actionable steps to help you in your parenting journey. Because from one parent to another, this stuff is no joke!
You know that I’m a fan of Audible and have shared my favorite lists with you throughout this year. Make sure to get a free trial and you can listen to these books while you’re driving carpool, cooking dinner or at yet another practice.
Parenting Books
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weisbluth
Because we all want to get more sleep!
Dr. Marc Weissbluth, one of the country’s leading pediatricians, overhauls his groundbreaking approach to solving and preventing your children’s sleep problems, from infancy through adolescence. In Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, he explains with authority and reassurance his step-by-step regime for instituting beneficial habits within the framework of your child’s natural sleep cycles.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
A dear friend recommended this one for me years ago.
Internationally acclaimed experts on communication between parents and children, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish “are doing for parenting today what Dr. Spock did for our generation” (Parent Magazine). Now, this best-selling classic includes fresh insights and suggestions as well as the author’s time-tested methods to solve common problems and build foundations for lasting relationships.
and Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
When your kids just can’t seem to get along… just us?
Siblings Without Rivalry guides the way to family peace and tranquility with humor and compassion for both parents and children. Action oriented and easy to understand, it’s packed with sensitive yet sensible ways to turn quarreling siblings and frustrated parents into an open, communicative family.
No Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Defining the true meaning of the “d” word (to instruct, not to shout or reprimand), the authors explain how to reach your child, redirect emotions, and turn a meltdown into an opportunity for growth. By doing so, the cycle of negative behavior (and punishment) is essentially brought to a halt, as problem solving becomes a win/win situation.
The Me, Me, Me Epidemic by Amy McReady
This one comes highly recommended from a friend.
Parenting expert Amy McCready reveals in this book that the solution is to help kids develop healthy attitudes in life. By setting up limits with consequences and training them in responsible behavior and decision making, parents can rid their homes of the entitlement epidemic and raise confident, resilient, and successful children. Whether parents are starting from scratch with a young toddler or navigating the teen years, they will find in this book proven strategies to effectively quell entitled attitudes in their children.
Scream Free Parenting by Hal Runkel
This is definitely for me… sadly.
Parenting is not about kids, it’s about parents. If you’re not in control, then you cannot be in charge. What every kid really needs are parents who are able to keep their cool no matter what. Easier said than done? Not anymore, thanks to ScreamFree Parenting, the principle-based approach that’s inspiring parents everywhere to truly revolutionize their family dynamics. Moving beyond the child-centered, technique-based approaches that ultimately fail, the ScreamFree way compels you to focus on yourself,calm yourself down, and grow yourself up.
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas
Playing off the themes in the Caldecott Medal-winning children’s book Where the Wild Things Are, this informative, practical, and encouraging guide will help parents guide boys down the path to healthy and authentic manhood.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker
This one came recommended by a guy friend who loves it.
Drawing on her 30 years’ experience practicing pediatric and adolescent medicine, teen health expert Dr. Meg Meeker explains why an active father figure is maybe the single most important factor in a young woman’s development. In this invaluable guide, Meeker shows how a father can be both counsel and protector for his daughter as she grows into a spiritually and mentally strong young woman. From cradling his newborn to walking her down the aisle, a father must relish his paramount responsibility – guiding the course of his daughter’s life.
Parenting Books for Teenagers
We have entered a new stage in our home. Teenage hood is not for wimps. When my kids were little I thought they would be little forever. And then somehow magically they grew up. I keep telling my friends with little kids that it doesn’t get “easier” it just gets different. Just when I started to feel like I sort of knew what I was doing, my kids became tweens and teens. It’s a whole new ball game. I separated these sections because I feel parenting is very different in all the stages. Here are some of the books that I recommend and that have been recommended to me:
The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers by Gary Chapman
If you are a fan of the 5 Love Languages, this will not disappoint.
Never before has raising teens been so perplexing. If you are wondering what on earth you’re doing wrong, you’re not alone. But there is hope. By learning to meaningfully express love amid your teens’ many changes, you can stay connected, maintain influence, and help them grow into healthy adults.
Untangled by Lisa Damour
Another highly recommended from a friend who is raising a teenage daughter.
In this sane, highly engaging, and informed guide for parents of daughters, Dr. Damour draws on decades of experience and the latest research to reveal the seven distinct – and absolutely normal – developmental transitions that turn girls into grown-ups, including parting with childhood, contending with adult authority, entering the romantic world, and caring for themselves. Providing realistic scenarios and welcome advice on how to engage daughters in smart, constructive ways, Untangled gives parents a broad framework for understanding their daughters while addressing their most common questions.
How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims
In How to Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims draws on research; on conversations with admissions officers, educators, and employers; and on her own insights as a mother and as a student dean to highlight the ways in which overparenting harms children, their stressed-out parents, and society at large. While empathizing with the parental hopes and, especially, fears that lead to overhelping, Lythcott-Haims offers practical alternative strategies that underline the importance of allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop the resilience, resourcefulness, and inner determination necessary for success.
This is a new release that I’m super excited to listen to — The Grown Up’s Guide to Teenage Humans by Josh Shipp
Do you have any favorite books that you want to share?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Audible. The opinions and text are all mine.
