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7.09.2012

Good Reads

When it comes to reading, I tend to go in spurts.  I read voraciously for awhile, then need to take a break.  I am a lover of non-fiction, a research junkie with a penchant for parenting and theology books.  I recently came off of one of those reading jags and was energized by it.   Of course, different books resonate with different folks.  I rarely find any book where I agree with the author 100%. Still, here were a few I've read recently and enjoyed.



- Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success

I received this book from Amazon Vine in return for a book review.  I'm glad I did.  This primer on child development starts at the elementary years and takes you all the way through high school.  While we are no where near the latter, I'm still glad I read it.  I've found understanding normal child development to be so crucial to parenting.  Her section on creating resilience in children was insightful.   The bits of research sprinkled throughout the book were informative and interesting.   She encourages us to view 'success' holistically instead of only academically - it's important to raise compassionate kids not just top students.  I loved that!



- Attached at the Heart: 8 Proven Parenting Principles for Raising Connected and Compassionate Children

This book is chock full of great research on attachment.  The tone was practical without being preachy. I was interested to read the discussion on dads.  An involved father reduces the chances of teens smoking, using drugs and partaking in risky behaviors.  This effect held strong regardless of how involved the mother was.

The book addresses issues pertaining to both biological and adopted children, which I appreciated.


 
- Sleeping with Your Baby: A Parent's Guide to Cosleeping

This is a phenomenal book for those considering cosleeping or bedsharing.  I know bedsharing is not for everyone.  Our sleep arrangements have changed to meet the different needs of each of our kids... and ourselves.  Jude and Indigo slept with us full time for the first 6 months, then about half the time for another year.  We had hoped to cosleep with Evie, but she had some sensory and attachment issues and slept so much better in her own space.  Iris has never slept in a crib.  All of those scenarios have worked for us.

The author, James McKenna, is an anthropologist from Notre Dame and has been studying sleep in the mother-infant dyad for over 20 years.



- I enjoy reading this NY Times article on busyness, via Rachel Held Evans.

Have you read any good books lately?  I'd love to know!

The photos in this post were taken in Gruene, a historic district in Texas, where we enjoyed delicious food and great live music!



2 comments:

  1. just catching up with you!!! much love!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the resources! Cute pictures of the girls (and Dan)!

    ReplyDelete

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