Wired For Noise

photo credit: Dawn Endico

Megan at Sorta Crunchy blogged a list of 12 books that changed how she thought and did. Since I’m a self-admitted book addict I LOVE reading lists like that. I started doing a list like that earlier this year when I shared the 5 books that influenced me to homeschool. I had planned to follow up with 5 books that influenced my parenting, but then I’m a flake and forgot and when I remembered I didn’t have time and …

Yeah.

So I’m going to pick it back up this morning and follow Megan’s lead. Finally, here are the 5 books that changed the way I parent and influence how I hope to parent. In no particular order.

Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times – Some people want their kids to grow up to be a lawyer or a politician, others want their kids to grow up and cure cancer. I want mine to be happy and respectful. Which is why I love this book. It is all about helping you get past the (said in a Tarzan voice) “Me mom, you kid” and treat your child humanely. Which in terms helps your child grow up to be humane, not just to others but also to the environment.

The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart – This is the first parenting book I ever read and I found myself shouting “Yes! Of course!” so much as I was reading it I think Michael was planning to hide it from me. The basis is pretty simple, in fact you don’t even need the book to get it. Children become what we raise them to be. So if we’re rude, disrespectful, and degrading to them it’s hardly any wonder that they will grow up to be just that. There are lots of insights to how this might cause that, things that probably everyone you know does and you never stopped to think why.

Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry – This is a new book, and I only just finished it a short time ago. But it automatically made it to the top five list. I wrote a longerreview of the book already, but for the shorter version it’s this. Let kids be kids, let them play and climb and fall down and ramp their bikes. Stop hovering over them trying to keep them safe, they need to have adventures in order to grow.

Raising Your Spirited Child Rev Ed: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic – My kids tend to be intense. And loud. And stubborn. And emotional. Now I could have just said they tend to be brats, but that’s one of the tricks in this book. Describe your child differently and you begin to see them differently. He’s not bossy, he’s a natural leader. There are a ton of other tricks and tips in here to help you get through a child that extreme, without the pressure to just spank him into submission.

Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys – Everyone told me to read this book and they weren’t kidding. The alternative title could be how to raise feminist sons in these fucked up times. Wow. Dealing with the overly-macho, anti-emotional, stereotypical image of what a man should be that is pressed onto little boys from even a young age. Honestly, this goes beyond parenting. I think everyone who has a man anywhere in their life should read it to understand what is behind the too common actions of the angry male.

OK, these are my top five books for parenting. The ones that influence me, guide me, and help me again and again. These are the ones that are never too far from my hands.

Related Reading:

Homeschooling: The Teen Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 13- to 18- Year-Old (Prima Home Learning Library)

The American Academy of Pediatrics New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding

Awkward Family Photos