Did you know that if you get on Amazon and type in "Parenting Books" you'll get a list of over 50,000 results? WOAH. That's pretty overwhelming! And then when you begin to look through the list you might start thinking to yourself "ummmm how do I know what to buy?!?". I recommend books all the time to clients and am careful to select items that will have an impact and that I know the parent will have time to read (or at least look through).
Here's how I decide if a resource is worth investing in:
1. I read the reviews. If other professionals are recommending the book along with parents then I check it out further.
2. Does the book offer solutions that are positive in nature. Meaning the book isn't trying to "fix" your "bad" kid. The words "fix", "bad", "controlling", "punishment" are red flags to me that the book might look at the child being a problem rather than the child struggling with a problem. I look for books that have words such as "empathy", "emotional intelligence or EQ", "discipline", "boundaries", "attachment", "brain development". Those words indicate to me that the book is probably going to touch on some ideas that will help support a child in their development and give a parent a different way to look at the issue.
3. I look for books that aren't super long or clinical sounding because who has time to read a book with 500 pages or words/terms you have to Google?
4. Finally I take a look inside the book. I love that Amazon offers the feature where you can usually read the forward and table of contents of the book. This allows me access to see what is covered, how the authors write, and it is as advertised.
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