Category: Analysis 3 Topics

(click the image to see the amazon link of this book)

The book I chose for analysis paper 3 is How to Negotiate With Kids…. even when you think you shouldn’t  wittern by Scott Brown. It is targeted towards parents who have hardtime to manage conflict with kids (aged two to twelve) and have diffculties in negotiating with them. Scott Brown is a founding member of Harvard Negotiation Project, an expert on political and corporate conflict and a father of four. Scott Brown found that parents face the same situation as negotiators and researchers said that children suffered form too much conlict, so when parents follow the techniques in the book, not only will the family get harmonier, but also will children grow up happily.

The selling point of this book is it combined the best knowledge of managing conflict with the best practices of parenting. It teaches parents how to manage their emotions and reations during conflict, how to manage child’s emotions and sterngthen child’s emotional control, how to understand child and focus child’s attention, how to negotiate solutions to common problems, how to reduce conflict at home. This selling point makes the book different from other parenting books. It has comics to make it as an relaxing book, dialogue of parents and children in conflict as examples, and it gives many solution charts to make it more useful.

The book contains ten chapters, first it devided people in different conflict styles, then followed the conflict timeline, it gives instructions to manage both parent and children’s emotions during a conflict, and tells parents how to listen, talk and persuade. It recommands parents to set appropriate disciplines to avoid conflict and sets topics that are nonnegotiable.

Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent , by Dr. David and Lisa Frisbie

http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Great-Kids-Your-ebook/dp/B003E3LBPS/ref=sr_1_8?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1352694181&sr=1-8&keywords=single+parenting

The target audience of this book is single mom and dad. Since One–parent households frame the new landscape of American family life, how to raise kids in these families becomes an issue.

In this book, Divid and Lisa Frisbie provide a practical and proactive plan single moms or single dads can use to nourish their own souls, nurture their children, manage their households build a future they can enjoy.

In the first part of the book, the authors teach the audience how to care about themselves. According to the authors, parents have responsibility to create a healthy environment for kids, including healthy community and healthy parents. Thus, parents should focus on their own support system, their networks and their diet and lifestyle.

In the second part, the authors provide some techniques on how to communicate with kids and on how to read kids. In this part, several stories are told from single mom and dads.

In the third part, the authors focus more on one-parent family’s future such as what they can do to make life better. The third part covers many issues single parents may face in real life and give many suggestions. How to start working after being a housewife for a long time, how to make budget. What’s more, the authors discuss whether to remain single or look for a new relationship.

 

Good Enough Parenting, the sensible discipline guide for new parents by Lisl Fair, is a book directed towards new parents with  toddlers and young children ages 1-6.

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Parenting-Discipline-ebook/dp/B008LKOUH0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352663794&sr=8-2&keywords=good+enough+parenting#reader_B008LKOUH0

This book is different from other books on the market right now because in its title, “good enough,” it is not trying to mold the perfect parent.  The book is supposed to teach parents how to be there for their children and help them to
have a fun, happy life, without trying to be perfect.  The target market, new parents, should read
the book because it is very informative, but with a fun layout.  The language is easy to understand and the
book is entertaining and less “heavy” on the material it is providing.  This book is promoting fun, friendly,
interactive parenting that will allow their children to grow and mature in an enjoyable,
communicative, and learning environment.

The summary from the book description goes as follows:

“Discipline is one of the key aspects of parenting that often makes parents feel as if they are not doing
well enough. In fact, many new parents find it difficult to adopt a consistent
approach on how to discipline their toddlers and children effectively, and more
importantly, without guilt. The wide range of books, formulas and methods about parenting                                                 toddlers and child discipline available today unfortunately makes it more complicated for
new parents to understand the topic as they usually lack practical ideas that
can be adapted and implemented in their own households.

In Good Enough Parenting, Lisl Fair encourages parents to stop trying to
be the “Perfect Parent” they believe they ought to be. Referencing
studies from various books and real-life examples, she helps parents to strike
a balance between their children’s needs and their own, and at the same time
raise children who will be happy and responsible.”

Title: I’m Pregnant. Now What?
Author: Cleo Stanley & Carolyn Simpson
Amazon Link

 

 

This book is targeted towards male and female teenagers.
Specifically those who are pregnant or expecting a child. According to the
introduction this book provides these pregnant teenagers with different
options, where they can find encouragement and assistance during this time.
Readers should purchase this book because it covers a variety of issues that
these teenagers are or will face during their pregnancy. This book is easy to
read and follow. It is well organized and also covers sensitive areas such as
being a single mother, abortion, adoption and everything in between.  The majority of the book is directed towards
the female whom is physically carrying the child. However at the end of each
section, there is a “guys viewpoint”.

The first part of the book presents all the choices you have
when first finding out you are expecting. These choices including adoption,
abortion, raising the child, single parenting or foster care. The following
chapters deal with the physical and emotional emotions of a teen pregnancy.
This includes the birth experience, the consequences of getting pregnant at
such a young age, raising your child while you are still a child yourself,
prenatal care and depression. Other topics discussed include coping with your
family, prenatal care and preparing for the baby. The end of the book details
different contraception’s. The book has a positive, encouraging tone, its
ensures you that its “not the end of the world”. However at the same time, it
makes it extremely clear that your entire life will dramatically change once
your child is welcomed into this world.

I’ve decided to read “The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook,” by April Martin, Ph.D. As is obvious from the title, the book is targeted at lesbian women and gay men–both couples and single individuals–who are interested in becoming parents. What makes this book different from others in the market is that it addresses both lesbians and gay men and the broad array of parenting decisions and situations that both groups can face. Martin is a psychologist, a parent, and a lesbian, and is therefore sensitive to the circumstances in which parent-hopefuls in the LGBT community can find themselves. Martin therefore provides a wealth of practical information about, and numerous examples of, the various ways in which parenting is planned and can occur in LGBT contexts.

The main selling point of this book is that it serves as a useful practical guide to parental planning and helps LGBT readers to more fully anticipate the challenges and controversies they are likely to experience while pursuing parenthood. The book promotes a mindful, confident, and loving approach to parenting as a way to ensure that the difficulties faced by lesbians and gay men in achieving legal parenthood is worthwhile, meaningful, and fulfilling. While I have yet to read the chapters on actual parenting of children, I can deduce from the overall nature of the book that it encourages (obviously) parenting that is sensitive to both LGBT issues and to the challenges from society that children might face as a result of having lesbian or gay parents.

The book’s structure is straightforward. It’s divided into two parts. The first part of the book is entitled “Creating a Family” and focuses on the logistical decisions and difficulties that lesbians and gay men face when planning to become parents–for example, donor selection, alternative insemination, surrogacy, and the legal and emotional aspects of those and other areas as well. The second part of the book is entitled “Making it Work” and focuses on the act of parenting in LGBT families. I’m approximately 1/3 of the way through the book right now and look forward to reading the rest.

The parenting book that I am choosing to read is “Calm and Compassionate Child” by Susan Usha Dermond

http://www.amazon.com/Calm-Compassionate-Children-A-Handbook/dp/1587612763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352593779&sr=8-1&keywords=calm+and+compassionate+children

The target readers for this book are teachers for early childhood education (pre-k to 2nd grade), elementary teachers ( from 3rd to 8th), parents who want to raise positive and calm children, and parents whose children are having difficulties with emotions from birth to about age 13.
I believe that this book is different from others in the market because instead of taking a firm and strict approach to parenting, this book wants the teachers and parents to “level” with the children and fix any problems in the most serene way possible. Along with this, Dermond talks about raising your children is environments that involve: nature, love, meditation, music, positive affirmations, positivity in attitude between both the child, parent and teacher, etc. The approach can be compared to a session at yoga where everything is soothing, calm, positive and involving activities such as meditation to shed any negative energy.

Readers should buy this book because it provides an alternative way to raise your child, and help them through emotional issues that occur in their young adolescent life. The book implements the power of mind over body through the calming techniques discussed throughout the book. An example of this is in chapter six where they use classical music to soothe the baby or young child, and get them into a positive state.

As, previously discussed, the type of parenting promoted in this novel is anti-corporal, strict and boisterous punishment. Dermond wants to teach the parents and teachers to negotiate with the child and work through the problem in the most calm way and environment possible. This calm parenting is promoted from birth through adolescence that is discussed throughout the book. The three main parts of the book consist of: Awakening the heart’s feelings, Calming body and mind, and Surrounding Influences. Within these parts are chapters that discuss techniques that achieve this positive approach to parenting, such as having Celebrations, Routines, and Rituals. This book has been interesting so far, and will prove to be a unique read.