McRorie Parenting

What I’m Reading

I  just read Alfie Kohn’s most recent book, The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents and Other Phony Crises. I love reading him because he’s so opinionated, like my husband’s crotchety liberal New Yorker Uncle Terry, AND he backs EVERYTHING up with research.

I’m currently reading Stanley Greenspan’s classic, The Four-Thirds Solution: Solving the Child-Care Crisis in America Today. Being a parent hasn’t gotten much better in America than it was when he wrote it in 2001, but there’s more talk in Washington than there ever has been before about the need for parental leave and high-quality childcare, so…  In the meantime, he has some good ideas for parents to do their best for their kids within the system we have now.

I’m also looking forward to reading Margot Sunderland’s highly recommended book, The Science of Parenting: How today’s brain research can help you raise happy, emotionally balanced children. When I find the time…

Here’s what else is on my bookshelf:

Parenting for Attachment

  • Attached at the Heart: Eight Proven Parenting Principles for Raising Connected and Compassionate Children by Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker
  • The Attachment Parenting Book by William Sears MD
  • The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff
  • Our Babies, Ourselves by Meredith Small
  • Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn, PhD
  • The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapmen and Ross Campbell

Pregnancy and Childbirth

  • The Pregnancy Book by William Sears MD
  • Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

Baby and Toddler Care

  • The Baby Book by William Sears MD
  • The Vital Touch: How Intimate Contact with Your Baby Leads to Happier, Healthier Development by Sharon Heller, PhD
  • The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, MD
  • The Happiest Toddler on the Block by Harvey Karp, MD

Feeding

  • Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers by Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
  • The Family Nutrition Book by William Sears MD
  • Take the Fight Out of Food by Donna Fish, MS, LCSW

Sleep

  • Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family by Diane Wiessinger et al. from La Leche League
  • Safe INfant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions by James McKenna, PhD
  • Good Nights: The Happy Parents’ Guide to the Family Bed (and a Peaceful Night’s Sleep!) by Jay Gordon MD and Maria Goodavage
  • Three in a Bed: The Benefits of Sharing Your Bed with Your Baby by Deborah Jackson
  • The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley
  • Sleeping with Your Baby: A Parent’s Guide to Cosleeping by James McKenna, PhD

Positive Discipline

  • The Successful Child by William Sears MD
  • The Discipline Book by William Sears MD
  • How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
  • Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
  • Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Laura Davis and Janis Keyser
  • Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World by H. Stephen Glenn, PhD
  • Parent Effectiveness Training by Dr. Thomas Gordon
  • Helping Young Children Flourish by Aletha Solter, PhD

Temperament and Development

  • Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
  • Kids, Parents and Power Struggles by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
  • The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD
  • Giving the Love that Heals: A Guide for Parents by Dr. Harville Hendrix and Helen Hunt, MA
  • Rest Play Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One) by Deborah MacNamera

Family Life with Older Children

  • The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule
  • Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen, PhD
  • Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
  • Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy
  • SPOILED Right: Delaying Screens and Giving Children What They Really Need by Meghan Owenz, PhD

Tweens and Teens

  • Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté
  • Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers by Michael Riera
  • Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel Siegel

Mothers, Fathers and Other Caregivers

  • The Truth Behind The Mommy Wars: Who Decides What Makes a Good Mother? by Miriam Peskowitz
  • The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle Class Parents are Going Broke by Elizabeth Warren (back when she was “just” a Harvard economics professor) and (her daughter) Amelia Warren Tyagi
  • Staying Home: From Full-Time Professional to Full-Time Parent by Darcie Sanders and Martha M Bullen
  • The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life by Renee Peterson Trudeau
  • Mothering and Fathering: The Gender Differences in Child Rearing by Tine Thevenin
  • Pregnant: A Field Guide to Fathering by Gary Kleiman
  • Homedaddy: Little White Lies and Other Tales from the Crib by Todd Pinsky
  • The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It by Anthony T. DeBenedet, M.D. and Lawrence Cohen, PhD
  • The Essential Grandparent: A Guide to Making a Difference by Dr. Lillian Carson