Raising kids is one of sweetest, hardest, yet most rewarding things we as parents get the privilege to do. While there is no magic button that teaches us how to do everything perfectly, there are resources that can certainly help. We’ve put together a list of our favorite parenting books that do exactly that. Whether you’re battling the terrible two’s, teaching your little ones manners, feeling guilty for not being like another parent, or anything of the like we highly recommend checking out some of these good reads.
(From Amazon) Monica Swanson knew she’d tapped a heartfelt concern when nearly two million readers shared her blog post “What a Teenage Boy Needs Most from His Mom.” In this helpful book, she takes mothers deeper into the insights they need for the boy-raising journey, covering topics from dealing with the daily influences of friends and technology to helping a boy grow to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally healthy.
(From Amazon) It’s never too late to raise grateful kids. Get ready to cultivate a spirit of genuine appreciation and create a Jesus-centered home in which your kids don’t just say―but mean!―“thank you” for everything they have.
(From Amazon) When American journalist Pamela Druckerman had a baby in Paris, she didn’t aspire to become a “French parent.” But she noticed that French children slept through the night by two or three months old. They ate braised leeks. They played by themselves while their parents sipped coffee. And yet French kids were still boisterous, curious, and creative. Why? How?
With a notebook stashed in her diaper bag, Druckerman set out to investigate—and wound up sparking a national debate on parenting. Researched over three years and written in her warm, funny voice, Bringing Up Bébé is deeply wise, charmingly told, and destined to become a classic resource for American parents.
(From Amazon) Your pregnancy explained and your pregnant body demystified, head (what to do about those headaches) to feet (why they’re so swollen), back (how to stop it from aching) to front (why you can’t tell a baby by mom’s bump). Filled with must-have information, practical advice, realistic insight, easy-to-use tips, and lots of reassurance.
For 30 years, On Becoming Babywise has been the de facto newborn parenting manual for naturally synchronizing your baby’s feeding time, waketime and nighttime sleep cycles, so the whole family can sleep through the night.
(From Amazon) A kinder, more compassionate world starts with kind and compassionate kids. In Raising Good Humans, you’ll find powerful and practical strategies to break free from “reactive parenting” habits and raise kind, cooperative, and confident kids.
(From Amazon) Discover simple habits and easy-to-implement daily rhythms that will help you find meaning beyond the chaos of family life as you create a home where kids and parents alike practice how to love God and each other.
(From Amazon) What do you do with a little kid who…won’t brush her teeth…screams in his car seat…pinches the baby…refuses to eat vegetables…throws books in the library…runs rampant in the supermarket? Organized by common challenges and conflicts, this book is an essential manual of communication strategies, including a chapter that addresses the special needs of children with sensory processing and autism spectrum disorders.
(From Amazon) How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes is a deeply researched, evidence-based primer that provides a fresh, often surprising perspective on parenting issues, from toddlerhood through the teenage years.
(From Amazon) If you have a daughter, it would be surprising if she doesn’t struggle with anxiety and worry–either in short episodes or for longer periods. For a variety of reasons, childhood anxiety rates are soaring, especially among girls. Today’s parents need to know what contributes to anxiety and worry and how they can empower their daughters to overcome troubling emotions.
The internet can be overwhelming with information so we hope you find these trusty publications as helpful as we did! What other parenting books would you add to this list?
