Description:
Based around a long-standing series of parenting workshops, Parenting by Heart aims to debunk the most common--and damaging--myths of parenthood and replace them with a flexible set of solutions that can be easily adapted to different situations. Author Ron Taffel offers a variety of innovative ideas that can change frustrating experiences for the better while relieving parents of much of the guilt we carry. The book is based on short chapters that blow away our standard myths about "in-charge parents," "over-involved mothers and under-involved fathers," and consistently reliable methods of discipline. Rather than simply contradicting them, Taffel explains how these ideas developed and how they can be changed for the better. He describes the important roles of "Parent Protector," "Parent Chum," and "Parent Realist" and outlines the different ages that require different styles of parenting. The book is full of lively examples and basic concepts, so you'll have plenty of new ideas to replace the tired myths. Whether Taffel is elaborating on the idea that no good discipline method is effective for more than a few days or reminiscing about bribing his daughter with cookies, the points raised in his work are refreshing and reassuring. This is one parenting book that works equally well for teens and toddlers. --Jill Lightner
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