What we’re truly doing is going back to our heart – our humanity – to bring up our children in love, not fear. ~ Rebecca Eanes & Laura Ling
Positive parenting is a concept that confuses a lot of people. So ingrained is our society with the traditional, authoritarian style of parenting, people tend to assume that no punishments must surely equal no parenting.
The opposite is true.
Positive parenting is a highly responsive and attentive type of parenting, one in which our relationship with our children is paramount, and kids are guided (guided, not ignored) with love, respect, and kindness. In short, positive parents treat their children they way they themselves would like to be treated. The question that is on many people’s minds is, “But how do I do it?”
Positive Parenting in Action, a new ebook by Rebecca Eanes (owner and author of the Positive Parenting website, and the founder of the popular Facebook page, Positive Parenting: Toddlers and Beyond) and Laura Ling, breaks it all down in a really lovely and encouraging way. Instead of just offering up vague advice about what NOT to do, it instead gives the reader clear and loving examples on respectful ways to handle everything from tantrums to aggressive or dangerous behavior to sibling rivalry to potty learning.
Even with all of these examples (there are more than 50 pages worth of common scenarios), this is not a how-to book that a promises if you employ a specific method, your children will turn out a certain way. In fact, as it says in the very beginning of the book, “Positive Parenting isn’t a method, but a philosophy – a way of seeing our children and our relationship with them.” The common thread throughout all the parenting examples given is that connection with the child and maintaining a position of love and empathy are top priority. All parent/child relationships are different, because all children are different. This book allows for that, while still holding the position that there is a always a way to respond with kindness and understanding rather than with anger or punishment.
I think what I loved most about this book is that it never once resorts to shaming parents into feeling like they’ve somehow failed, or like they’ve surely messed up their children by not doing things differently. Instead it acts as both coach and cheerleader, offering both practical advice (and lots of it) as well as gentle encouragement to follow the innate, loving, Mama instinct that was there all along.
While it’s aimed at parents with children from ages 0 through 6, it feel it holds value for all parents wanting to learn more about the positive parenting philosophy…. from those with brand-new babies, to seasoned moms of four like myself. I truly enjoyed this book, and gleaned much from its pages.
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Want to a win free copy? Just leave a comment telling me why you need to read this book. Share the link to this post on Facebook and/or Twitter for up to two bonus entries (let me know which ones you’ve done.) One lucky reader will be selected at random, and announced next Friday, April 20th. Good luck!
Winner is Amy D! Thanks everyone for participating!
Can’t wait to read it? You can purchase a copy here.
