When the boys were little, people would tell me to “cherish these days” because they go by so fast and parenting becomes harder as they get older. Of course, parenting little ones is HARD, so I found myself wanting to punch those well-meaning people in the face. I was sleep deprived, I had dried spit up all over my clothes, and I was constantly afraid my kid was going to die because they hadn’t eaten enough/hadn’t slept enough/I wasn’t reading to them enough…all you moms and dads out there get it.
Recently though, I’ve realized those annoying people were right. The first years are physically exhausting – like nothing I’ve ever experienced. But now that the boys are getting older and starting to navigate relational issues, it takes much more mental and emotional energy to parent. We’re beyond the simple (yet complex) goal of survival, our boys are growing up to be their own people. We now have the task of helping them be confident in who they are, to genuinely the people around them, to develop a true desire to make the world a better place, and to enjoy the lives they build.
Yep. I feel totally overwhelmed these days.
So, a while back I used this great crowdsourcing platform (aka – FACEBOOK,) to solicit recommendations of good parenting books.
In case any of you are in the same boat, I thought I’d pass some of these books along. I’ve read a few of the books (which I note with an *) all of which are great. The rest are on my Amazon wishlist.
Without further ado…
Parenting Book Wishlist
How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk*
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
No Bad Kids – Janet Lansbury’s work was recommended by multiple people. She has a number of books and a website, I also follow her on Facebook.
Have any others I should add to the list? 
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