Practical Parenting @ your library

By Kate Mutch, Public Services Librarian

October 18, 2006

Jackie Kennedy once said, “If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much.”  Most parents would agree that raising children can be an overwhelming task at times, albeit an important one.  Fortunately, your library has many resources to help you with this important job… parenting.

“Parenting Preschoolers With A Purpose: The Go-To Guide to Caring for Your Kids and Yourself” by Jolene Roehlkepartain offers guidance on everyday issues, such as: bedwetting, sibling relationships, discipline, eating, bath-time, lying, and friendships.

Foster Cline’s “ Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility” focuses on raising self-confident, motivated kids who are ready to face the world by teaching them responsibility and the logic of life, giving them the opportunity to solve their own problems from early on.

“Grandparenting With Love & Logic: Practical Solutions to Today's Grandparenting Challenges” by Jim Fay provides insight for grandparents thrust back in to the parenting role.

“Parenting Isn't For Cowards” by James Dobson shows that parenting is not always a breeze, and helps eliminate parental guilt on those days when kids are just plain hard to raise. Dobson advocates setting limits and disciplining with love.

Caesar Pacifici’s “Off Road Parenting: Practical Solutions for Difficult Behavior” covers ways to improve children’s behavior by teaching cooperation, tracking behavior, using positive reinforcement and enforcing limits.

You library also has several parenting selections available as audio books.  “ Boundaries With Teens” by John Townsend provides important keys for establishing healthy boundaries, maturity, safety, and growth for teens and the adults in their lives.

Judy Ford’s "Wonderful Ways to Love a Child" is a down-to-earth guide for parents who want to put love into action and give their children the very best start in life.

In “Didn't I Tell You To Take Out The Trash?!,”  Foster and Cline offer tools for getting children to do chores without hassles as they explain the importance of chores and their relationship to building a child's self-esteem.

ParentingDVDs are available as well, including: “Who Says Parenting Can't Be Fun?” an introduction to the Love and Logic method, using humor to teach parenting skills. “Helping Kids Face Today's World” is a presentation to help parents understand and deal with the ever-shifting challenges faced by today's kids.

“Positive Discipline: Without Shaking, Shouting or Spanking” helps parents learn to use positive discipline techniques instead of more harmful practices to get desired results, complete with real-life parenting challenges and age-appropriate strategies that lead to non-violent resolutions.

“The Dad Difference : Raising Children Birth To Five” motivates dads to be an integral part of their children's lives and will give dads the confidence and skills to parent in their own unique "dad" way.

While raising children is often daunting, sometimes messy and never easy, the parenting books, audio books and movies at your library can provide you with words, ideas and practical steps to use in raising responsible and contributing members of society.

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