Shouldn’t this come with an owner’s manual?
Too bad kids aren’t born with an owner’s manual. I really could have used one the day I took my first son home from the hospital. It seems I’ve needed one ever since.
I should have known that when my doctors office was literally shoving books and pamphlets into my hands about how to change a diaper, how to feed my baby and “What To Expect When Expecting” that those were going to be as close to owners manuals as I was going to get. Since then I have found some great books with wonderful advice, and I have found some that have just been a load of fluff. After blogging recently about rules and discipline I remembered a great book that I read that really helped me when I was at my wits end. It’s called “Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood – Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years”. If you’re not familiar with Jim Fay and Charles Fay Ph.D. they have many books, seminars and classes that teach about “Love and Logic” with regards to raising kids. I haven’t read a ton of their material (there’s a lot of it) but I have to say with regards to this book I found their advice very useful and practical. There are seminars I have listened to on CD that have also been funny, entertaining and helpful. I would recommend purchasing their books, instead of borrowing them from the library, so that you can highlight and take notes in them. If you’re anything like me I have to refer back to it at least a dozen times and that’s just for my first kid, not to mention when my second, third and fourth came along. Amazon sells it for around $17 new and about $14 used. I would let you borrow my copy but chances are I’ll need to reference it again tomorrow.
If you have a favorite parenting book you like please let me know about it! I’m always trying to stay one step ahead of my kids, but usually I find myself saying “That’s a new one . . . I wonder what that would fall under in an owner’s manual” and then I run to my computer to find a new book, or a helpful Mommy blog. :-)
