What do you get when a Psychologist and a Pediatrician write a book together?
Oh, just the Gist.
This book is a bit ahead of my "toddler-aged" parent issues, BUT was still worth the read. There might be something said for getting ahead of the curve, too. I can practice some of these techniques before they are needed and/or maybe head bad behaviors off before they become giant issues.
Gist, by Michael W Anderson and Timothy D Johanson is probably one of the best "broad-sense" parenting books I've read so far. As the title suggests, they don't tell you HOW to raise your kids- but they do give you an overview of parenting tips with examples and data. They talk about some common parenting techniques that have proven NOT to work and give you examples of what to do instead. It's essentially the gist of it.
One of my favorite points made by these authors is not to over-parent. They explain how constantly nagging and reminding your children is detrimental to your child's development and their relationship with you. Again, they may have written this for parents with older children, but I can definitely see a difference in Avalyn's attitude on days where I'm not constantly telling her 'no' at every turn.
Of course she is still going to test me, because that's what toddlers do, but I have to remember to let her be to the extent I can. She is happier when she is roaming, exploring and experiencing mistakes on her own. In Anderson and Johanson's professional opinions, if a person has a good kid then they should sit back and enjoy watching the child grow. Why parent 24 hours a day when you don't have to?
Sound intriguing? Then grab yourself a copy and enjoy the read. There's lots more where that tidbit came from (like really alarming stats on the growing use of technology for one- yikes)!