The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read

Looking for the only parenting book you'll ever need? Seek no further! You will want to read “The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read”.

As a newfound dad of a 3-month old I am keen to improve on child rearing having reflected on my own formative years. Nevertheless, I was at a loss for a framework to compare mine with my child's.

Philippa Perry explains in a magnificent way - yet without fluff - that it all comes down to you understanding and empathizing with the feelings of your offspring. Especially at a younger age, when they aren't able to verbalize themselves well and logical reasoning is underdeveloped, it is critical for a caregiver to recognize and help name out loud any feelings (good or bad) the child may have to build rapport.

Similarly, Perry recommends to not be afraid to express your own feelings in your parent-child relationship. There's nothing more frustrating for your little one to be told “No” if a boundary has been put up that has nothing to do with them but implicitly protects the parent from their own hurt. Don't “define” your teenager for being “too young to go out” when in fact you don't feel at ease with them coming back home too late.

I won't hold you any longer now! Go read the book yourself. Your future adult kid will thank you.