I wasn’t a natural parent – in any sense of the word.
I’m no “earth mother” and I didn’t give birth to my children.
I became a mum through adoption and my children were 7 and 17 months respectively when I met them.
Seven years on, I feel more like a “real mum” but in the early years, as our bonds formed, I felt completely out of my depth and I struggled to cope.
The 6 books in this blog series offered incredible insights and advice that helped me learn about myself, connect with my kids and build the bonds between us so we connected in a way that helped all of us feel safer, more loved and part of something that gave each of us a sense of belonging.
Whether your children came to you by birth, adoption or a blended family, I believe these 6 books will help you parent in a way that promotes feelings of unconditional love, nurture and safe boundaries so kids grow up feeling secure, confident and deserving of all the good things life has to offer.
In this blog, I’ve listed all 6 books in case you just want to dive in and get them all.
Over the course of the series, I’ll go into detail about each book, sharing the key points covered, what I learned and how it helped.
These 6 books helped me the most:
- No Drama Discipline – Dr Dan Siegel and Tina Payne
- Brilliant all-round parenting advice.
- Listen – Patty Whipfler and Tosha Schore
- Best book if you’re prone to ‘lecturing’ as a discipline strategy.
- The book you wish your parents had read – Phillipa Perry
- Helps make the connection between the thoughts and feelings of one generation and the way they play out in the next generation.
- The Thriving Child – Dr William Stixrud
- Helps put parenting choices into perspective and consider how to empower your child to make more choices for themselves.
- Playful Parenting – Lawrence J. Cohen Ph.D.
- Helps shed light on the importance of play with all children and how to use play to connect more deeply with your child and use play to help them express big feelings.
- The Explosive Child – Dr Ross W. Greene
- An incredible resource for any parent whose child struggles with anger, anxiety or big feelings that threaten to overwhelm them.
