Spinoff poll. How many parenting/discipline books have you read?

[Amy loves Bud]

I'll tell ya, I have read exactly none.

 

Well, that's not quite true, I did read Sally Clarkson's Mission of Motherhood and Ministry of Motherhood, but they were more encouragement for me than parenting type of advice.

 

I just never saw the need for a discipline/parenting book. I do look for some practical tips on the internet - I go to one site for advice on making baby food, for example.

 

I did have pretty good role models in my parents and one older sister in particular, though I definitely have taken a different path in certain areas.

 

Just curious.

[Crissy]

Zero.

 

When I look for advice on things as important as parenting, I want it to come from someone I know well and respect highly.

The idea of following the methods of authors I've not met never appealed to me.

[nutmeg]

-0-

 

 

Ahh, I am in good company. :001_smile:

[Jami]

I've read many. :) More than 5 certainly. Some of them quite helpful, others less so. But I also have been in churches where I had access to awesome mentors and teaching by which to weigh what I read. I also have a mother and older sister who offer wisdom and advice on a regular basis. So I've never felt like one particular book was supposed to be *the* solution or answer to having magically wonderful children. And God in his wisdom gave me children that require a bit more creativity and insight on my part, thinking "outside the book" if you will.

 

Jami

[Sahamamama]

I think that, years ago, before I was married and had children, I read "The Strong-Willed Child," by Dr. James Dobson, because of a certain boy in my children's church class ---aaaaaaaaaah. Hello? Daniel Smith? Well, YOU were the boy! Yeah, you. I read that book about 6 times, trying to come up with a way to demonstrate the love of Christ to this child and not strangle him each Sunday. Does THAT juxtapose for ya?

 

The other parenting book, if there was one, was also read so long ago that I not only can't remember the title, I also can't remember reading it or not reading it. Only the Lord knows.... So. 1-2, tops.

 

That's why, I asked for recs a while ago. Did you see the results? I posted them in the thread, "Results are in: Christian Mother's Booklist." Check it out, here, on the Well-Trained Mind forums.

[Spy Car]

Another vote for the "none" category.

 

I'm quite grateful for the example my parents showed in raising my brother and me, and so (expect for a few "tweaks" around the edges ) I'll just attempt to do as well by my son as they did by me.

 

I will admit to getting quite a laugh one day when I found Mrs Spy Car reading "Bringing Up Boys" by James Dobson, which she found at the library.

 

"Honey, do you have any idea who James Dobson is?"

 

Some sort of psychologist, from what I gather from the dust-jacket. He's evidently an authority on boys

 

"Honey...we have to talk" :lol:

 

Bill

[dirty ethel rackham]

I read a lot because I really wanted to parent my kids differently than I was raised. The 'rents weren't bad people, but I never felt loved or good enough for them and it really warped my relationship with God.

 

My favs:

The Baby Books (sears)

The Discipline Book (sears)

Kids Are Worth It (Coloroso)

The Complete Book of Christian Parenting and Childcare (Sears - comforting to read when surrounded by Ezzo-ites telling me I couldn't possibly be a Christian if I didn't withhold food, set them up to fail and then spank, or believe that children needed the evil beaten out of them.)

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk (Faber and Mazlish)

Loving Your Child is Not Enough: Positive Discipline that works (Samalin)

 

If Joanne's book had been written when my kids were younger I am sure I would have been a groupie :)!

[nakitty]

Zero.

 

When I look for advice on things as important as parenting, I want it to come from someone I know well and respect highly.

The idea of following the methods of authors I've not met never appealed to me.

 

ditto

[Chris in CA]

I agree, I've never been attracted to these type of books either

[nmoira]

Too many, when Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.) alone would have been sufficient. It has no magic formulas or unrealistic claims, but instead helps a tired parent clarify their thought processes so that reactions are appropriate to the situation. There are some others, like Hold on to Your Kids, that I'm glad to have read, but in my case it was a case of their reaffirming my parenting principles, not so much transforming them.

[dangermom]

Oh, I love to read all sorts of books, and child development / discipline etc. is a great category. I like to read books on raising teenagers even though my kids are little. I've forgotten the vast majority of the information, but I always enjoy books like that. And hey, my propensity to read anything I see at the library led right to homeschooling!

[sassenach]

But I don't think I've ever finished one. Seriously, I have some kind of non-fiction ADD. I cannot finish a non-fiction book to save my life. Even if I love it and it's totally clicking. What I need is for non-fiction authors to make their point in less than 100 pages. That would be perfect.

[Rosie_0801]

I'm just a book sort of person. Reading these sorts of things helps clarify the sort of parent I want to be. I also think the more ideas I have been exposed to, the more I have at my disposal when some issue or other comes up. At least that's what I thought before serious preggie/ mamma brain kicked in. Now I'm not sure if there's much in my head at all! I don't feel obliged to agree with anything in any of the books. Sometimes books will put a vague thought or feeling into words for me.

Rosie

[Colleen]

That's right ~ donut hole.:)

 

I'm not one to read "how to" or "self-help" books ~ though some no doubt wish I would.;) When I was pregnant with my first son, it occured to me that I knew absolutely zero about pregnancy, childbirth, caring for babies ~ the whole kit-n-kaboodle. Before moving across the pond to Switzerland, I decided I should have something in English on hand to provide some measure of guidance. I dutifully purchased what has become the pregnancy bible, What to Expect When You're Expecting. I discovered that I didn't expect much of anything that I was supposed to expect, and further discovered that reading about being pregnant and actually being pregnant were two different animals. So the book, for the most part, went by the wayside. Someone had also given me a copy of Dr. Spock's Baby and Childcare. I opened it and was told in the very first sentence that I knew more than I thought I did. And better, that I shouldn't be afraid to trust my own common sense. It was the most helpful parenting advice I've ever received. Never did read much more of the book, but that first bit summed it up in a nutshell.

 

I have a couple of parenting books sitting on my shelf, books that came highly recommended by friends I greatly admire. One is Families Where Grace is in Place, the other How to Really Love Your Child. I haven't read either in their entirety and likely never will. I've read bits, though, and those bits are good ~ good enough to convince me to keep the books.

[Mama2Three]

I voted >5 books, but then I realized that most of what I'm calling "discipline" are really child development books. For me, gaining a better understanding of child development has led to a better way of gentle disciplining my DC (at least I like to think so) -- and is much different from the way I was raised. Since I didn't want to raise my DC the way I was brought up, the books have been invaluable. That said, I haven't finished many of these types of books, just perused for what I needed at the moment.