mommymedia : relationships

Screamfree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool

Madelyn8278 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:40:00 GMT

Learn how to communicate effectively with your children without raising your voice. Author Hal Edward Runkel asks his readers to take away one idea from his book if nothing else:

“Our biggest struggle as parents is with our own emotional reactivity…Instead of anxiously trying to control our kids, let’s concentrate on what we can control—calming our own emotional, knee-jerk reactions.”

Runkel, a licensed marriage and family therapist, explains to his readers that parents cannot be in charge if they are not in control of their anxieties and insecurities. The more parents try to control their kids, he says, the more out of control parents become. So instead of reading about the latest parenting trends and techniques, this book will teach you how to “keep your cool” and stay calm.

Readers rant and rave about the techniques outlined in Runkel’s book. Some say they worked even on their teenagers, while others profess, “How you act, react, or fail to react affects your children, their behavior and your relationship.” However, whether or not Runkel’s revolution will work on every child will be for the reader to decide.

Have you read this book? Tell us your thoughts by posting a comment!

Pick up a copy here.

Becoming Parents: How to Strengthen Your Marriage as Your Family Grows

Satya — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:48:00 GMT

If you’re reading this, you’re probably a mom or dad-to-be and your mind has been swimming with thoughts on everything from labor and childbirth to infant care and nursery colors since you first received the baby news. What you may not have considered yet is how much pressure parenthood can put on your relationship with your partner. Enter “Becoming Parents: How to Strengthen Your Marriage as Your Family Grows,” a book designed specifically to help couples improve their relationships in preparation for parenthood. In their book, authors Pamela L. Jordan, Scott M. Stanley, and Howard J. Markman offer advice on how to survive this potentially trying time and come out of it with an even stronger bond. John Gray, acclaimed author of “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, says, “’Becoming Parents’ teaches survival skills necessary to raise your child, while managing to thrive in your marriage. If you're thinking about having kids, read this book.” Not only will it help you communicate more clearly with each other and better manage conflict between you, but it will help you to create lasting solutions to problems and identify the underlying issues and expectations you have for each other. “Becoming Parents” addresses larger issues like commitment, forgiveness and intimacy, as well as specific topics that are often the subjects of everyday arguments, such as who gets up when the baby cries at night and the division of household tasks. Best of all, the useful exercises in each chapter can help you and your partner build and maintain a happy home for you and your baby. Pick up a copy here.

Babyproofing Your Marriage

Madelyn8278 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:48:00 GMT

There’s no question that you love your husband as much as you love being a mom, but there’s also no denying that parenthood can be pretty tough on a marriage. Since you had children, do you and your spouse see things differently? Do you find yourselves arguing about things like your in-laws, division of responsibilities, or the void in your sex life? Filled with lots of humor and practical advice, “Babyproofing Your Marriage” can help you reconnect with your spouse, so that having kids doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your relationship.

Co-authors Stacie Cockrell, Cathy O’Neill and Julia Stone know how important it is to nurture a marriage after a baby is born. In “Babyproofing,” these three women explore the transition to parenthood in light of their own experiences, with input from their husbands and thoughts from couples across the country. From avoiding the “10 o’clock shoulder tap” to remembering the three A’s (appreciation, acknowledgment, and affirmation), “Babyproofing” has several useful, upbeat suggestions to help you and your spouse reach greater marital harmony. One mom says, “[This book] had a profound impact on how I think about marriage and parenthood, which will ultimately make me a better parent and a better spouse.”

“Babyproofing Your Marriage” is an invaluable read. It will teach you how to laugh more, argue less, and communicate better as your family grows.

Get a copy here.