Parenting lessons we can all use

I am always looking for parenting books that will help parents navigate through the joyous, but sometimes disconcerting journey of parenthood.

Parents with an arsenal of parenting tools will have an easier time dealing with the issues that arise while raising a family.

There are a lot of books out on the market that provide in depth information on different parenting topics, but let’s face it. Most parents don’t have the time to read a complicated book on child development.

Parents today need a simple book that they can refer to when they need help.

That’s why I recommend Love, Limits, Lessons by Bill Corbett founder of the organization Cooperative Kids.

The book has great common sense solutions to many of the parenting problems families face today.

It is written in a way that makes it easy for parent to find help on the issues they are struggling with.

Most of the topics in Corbett’s book are based on the top questions he received during his seminars and workshops. His book can be used with his parent education class or as a source for aiding parents desperately in need of good advice.

Parents can read about ways to help their children learn. They’ll gain a better understanding as to why kids don’t listen and what they can do to change that.

The book contains tips on handling power struggles, teaching boundaries and interpret ting misbehavior.

There’s a chapter on raising children bully-proof. It explains what bullying is and it helps parents teach their children how not to be targets.

Parents will learn how to read their child’s behavior and understand why kids act the way they do.

Corbett explains why talking less might get your point across better and how coaching and guiding your children will help you create more closeness in your family.

Looking through this book made me realize how many issues we have to deal with that past generation of parents didn’t.

There is a chapter on helping parents raise children of the “I Want It Now” generation; it explains ways in which parents can resist the urge to buy everything for their children. And how too much stuff creates chaos and doesn’t teach children how to take care of and appreciate what they have.

In the chapter “Help! My Child Visited an Adult Web Site!” Parents can find great ideas on how to monitor their children’s activities and create what Corbett calls an ongoing preventive plan for success.

Step dads can find tips on how to develop a better relationship with their children. There is even a chapter dedicated to helping single moms discipline their children.

I share in Bill Corbett’s belief that we help make this a better world by being good parents, “It is through this style of parenting that we’ll raise a generation of responsible and emotionally intelligent children who will seek and find their place in this world, and then move it forward.”

For more information about Cooperative Kids, visit www.CooperativeKids.com.

Maria Luisa Salcines is a freelance writer, certified parent educator and corporate empowerment consultant with The International Network for Children and Families in Redirecting Children’s Behavior, Redirecting for a Cooperative Classroom, and Redirecting Corporate America. Contact her at her Web site at www.redirectingchildrenrgv.org.