I’ve heard it said that, to love something, you have to truly know it first. We are taking this to a literature level and reading books that better help us understand the things we love; children, parents and the family unit.
We have 7 books to show and tell you about that have opened our eyes to unconditional love, the inner workings of children’s minds, and how to cultivate the adventurous spirit.
In This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel, we learn how a family cultivates the change, unconditional love, and transformation of gender fluidity and identity. This novel takes us on a personal journey into the mind of a young boy and his struggle with gender identity, social norms, and preconceived ideas. Laurie brings to life a very tender, sensitive, but real “secret” that still lies quiet among many families today.
Twelve Hours of Sleep in Twelve Weeks by Suzy Giordano and Lisa Abidin gives you a great “toolbox” to work with if you choose to sleep train. Suzy, a mother of 5 — including fraternal twins — walks us through her tried-and-true steps to sleep training your child. The four foundations she offers in her book are as follows; first, a baby must adapt to the family, not the family to the baby. Second, you must feel empowered as a parent. Third, sleeping is a learned sill that you need to teach your baby. And, lastly, sleep training requires commitment and hard work on the part of the parents.
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv is an all-time favorite. In the book, Louv outlines years of research on the correlation between nature and human emotional, physical and mental health. Spurring a nationwide discussion among educators, parents and conservationist, Last Child in the Woods is saturated with research relaying the positive effects of direct exposure to nature and the health of children. Nature is an essential aspect in the development of a healthier mind and emotional wellbeing in both children and adults.
All Joy and No Fun is written by Jennifer Senior and is about the paradox of modern parenting. This research-based book features various families that range from typical families to extraordinary family units through interviews. Throughout this book, you can expect a discussion about the lives of non-parenting adults and parenting adults, dad-vs-mom parenting, and insight into how adults live their lives "thinking" while children live their lives "feeling."
The Reason I Jump is a really interesting compilation of questions asked by David Mitchell and answered by Naoki Hiagashida, a 13-year-old poest, novelist, and essayist who lives with autism. One of the most notable questions in the book is question number 47: "Give us an example of something you really enjoy." Naoki answers; “Just by looking at nature, I feel I am being swallowed up into it, and, in that moment, I get the sensation that my body’s now a speck, a speck from long before I as born, a speck that is melting into nature herself.”
Flo and Wendell Explore by William Wegman is a fun, lighthearted children’s book about two siblings going camping. The colorful pictures tell of their adventures canoeing, fishing and kayaking.
The Whole Brain Child, by Daniel Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD talks about 12 strategies for nurturing the growing mind. As you read these strategies, you will learn how to talk to your child about their relationships, different needs for the left and right brain, parenting with the brain in mind, emotions and naming them, empathy, and as self regulation.
