Parenting Resources
Resources for Parents’ Own Growth as Parents
- Facing Codependence: What It Is, Where It Comes from, How It Sabotages Our Lives by Pia Mellody (often, the most helpful thing we can do to support our parenting is to take a look at how we were raised and heal the resulting wounds)
- Being Peace by Thich Nhat Han
- Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman
- Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships by Daniel Goleman
- It Wasn’t Your Fault: Freeing Yourself from the Shame of Childhood Abuse with the Power of Self-Compassion by Beverly Engel, LMFT
- You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
- Do One Thing Different: Ten Simple Ways to Change Your Life by Bill O’Hanlon
- Authentic Happiness, Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D.
- A Legacy of the Heart: The Spiritual Advantages of a Painful Childhood by Wayne Muller
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
- Nurturing Resilience: Helping Clients Move Forward from Developmental Trauma–An Integrative Somatic Approach by Kathy L. Kain and Stephen J. Terrell
- The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chodron
- The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves by Curt Thompson
- Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
- Enneagram personality assessment – https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/
Meditation Apps
Regular meditation will help you be more intentional in your parenting, leading to less regrettable yelling or escalating threats/bribes that you can’t back up.
These apps can help:
Resources for Parents of Kids of All Ages
- Parenting Without Power Struggles: Raising Happy, Resilient Kids While Staying Cool, Calm and Connected by Dr. Susan Stiffleman
- Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child: The Heart of Parenting by John Gottman, Ph.D., and Joan Declaire
- Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting Can Help You Nurture Your Child’s Attachment, Emotional Resilience, and Freedom to Explore by Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell
- Parenting With Love & Logic by Foster Cline, M.D., and Jim Fay
- No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., and Tina Payne Bryson, M.D.
- The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.
- The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell
- The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D.
- Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous and Independent Children by Reid Wilson, Ph.D. and Lynn Lyons LICSW
- The Whole Parent (How to Become a Terrific Parent Even if You Didn’t Have One) by Debra Wessleman
- The Emotionally Absent Mother: How to Recognize and Heal the Invisible Effects of Childhood Emotional Neglect by Jasmin Lee Cori, M.S. L.P.C.
- Parenting From the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Mary Hartzell, M.D.
- Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverted Kids by Susan Cain
- Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
- Parenting With Love & Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay
- The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self by Alice Miller
- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Resources for Parents of Young Children
- How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7 by Joanna Faber and Julie King
Resources for Parents of Teenagers
- Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.
- iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood–and What That Means for the Rest of Us by Jean Twenge, Ph.D.
- Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy! Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind by Michael J. Bradley
- Parenting Teens With Love And Logic: Preparing Adolescents for Responsible Adulthood by Foster Cline and Jim Fay
- Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa Damour, Ph.D.
- How to Listen So Teens Will Talk and Talk So Teens Will Listen by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
- Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall: A Parent’s Guide to the New Teenager by Anthony E. Wolf, Ph. D.
- You’re Wearing That?: Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation by Deborah Tannen
Resources for Coparenting
- Putting Children First: Proven Parenting Strategies for Helping Children Thrive Through Divorce by JoAnne Pedro-Carroll
- Parents are Forever: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming Successful Co-parents After Divorce by Shirley Thomas
- The Co-Parenting Handbook: Raising Well-Adjusted and Resilient Kids from Little Ones to Young Adults through Divorce or Separation by Karen Bonnell and Kristin Little
- The Stepfamily Handbook: Dating, Getting Serious, and Forming a “Blended Family” by Karen Bonnell and Patricia Papernow
- healthychildrenofdivorce.com website
Resources for Anxious Kids - Books to read to Young Children with Anxiety
- What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner and Bonnie Matthews
- A Smart Girl’s Guide: Worry: How to Feel Less Stressed and Have More Fun by Nancy Holyoke and Judy Woodburn
- From Worrier to Warrior: A Guide to Conquering Your Fears and Make Your Worrier a Warrior: A Guide to Conquering Your Child’s Fears by Dan Peters
- Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
- Hey Warrior by Karen Young
- Teenie Weenie in a Too Big World: A Story for Fearful Children by Margot Sunderland
- Up and Down the Worry Hill: A Children’s Book about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and its Treatment by Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D.
- Breathe with Me: Using Breath to Feel Strong, Calm, and Happy by Mariam Gates and Sarah Jane Hinder
- Starving the Anxiety Gremlin for Children Aged 5-9: A Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Workbook on Anxiety Management by Kate Collins-Donnelly
- Don’t Feed the WorryBug by Andi Green
- Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook
- The Scaredy Squirrel series by Mélanie Watt
- Outsmarting Worry: An Older Kid’s Guide to Managing Anxiety by Dawn Heubner
- Black Dog by Levi Pinfold
- Fraidyzoo by Thyra Heder
- When Worry Takes Hold by Liz Hawke
- Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna
- The Worry Workbook for Kids: Helping Children to Overcome Anxiety and the Fear of Uncertainty by Muniya S. Khanna, Ph.D., and Deborah Roth Ledley, Ph.D.
- The Anxiety Workbook for Kids: Take Charge of Fears and Worries Using the Gift of Imagination by Robin Alter, Ph.D. CPsych, and Crystal Clarke, MSW RSW
- The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook for Kids: Help for Children to Cope with Stress, Anxiety, and Transitions by Lawrence E. Shapiro, Ph.D., and Robin K. Sprague
Resources for New Parents
For a more complete list of postpartum and pregnancy resources, check out my It Takes a Village Resource Guide.
- And Baby Makes Three: The Six-Step Plan for Preserving Marital Intimacy and Rekindling Romance After Baby Arrives by John M. Gottman, Ph.D., and Julie Schwartz Gottman, Ph.D.
- This Isn’t What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression by Karen R. Kleiman, M.S.W., and Valerie Davis Raskin, M.D.
- The Postpartum Husband: Practical Solutions for Living with Postpartum Depression by Karen R. Kleiman, M.S.W.
- The Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook: Practical Skills to Help You Overcome Anxiety, Worry, Panic Attacks, Obsessions, and Compulsions by Pamela Wiegartz, Ph.D., and Kevin Gyoerkoe, Ph.D.
- Fussy Baby Network website – fussybabynetworkcolorado.org