The Top Books on Parenting That Every Parent or Soon-to-be Parent Must Read

Listed below are some of the best non-fiction books in the market which will help you out if you are a parent or soon-to-be parent. If you find yourself unable to peruse these books due to time constraints, you can read free book summaries or listen to free audiobook summaries.

Childhood Disrupted

This book talks about traumatic experiences of childhood and how they can play a major role in developing physical and psychological problems later on in life. Though painful experiences are a part and parcel of life, they differ from traumatic experiences which can scar a child’s psychology.

The author states that our bodies have mechanisms built in them to deal with stress. Hence moderate levels of stress can help our body build the ability to handle stressful situations in life. However, for particularly sensitive children, there is a certain limit of stress which they can handle before it becomes traumatic. However, the author advises parents to not become over-protective but to ensure that they are exposed to just a moderate amount of stress.

Childhood Disrupted talks about ‘Adverse Childhood Experience’ or ACE’s which can negatively impact a child’s growth. There have been cases where physical or mental ailments have been linked with emotional trauma experienced in childhood. ACE’s can reduce brain volume which reduces our decision-making and fear processing abilities. Furthermore, it affects women more than men because of a higher rate of estrogen hormone and glucocorticoids hormones in the body. There is a well-maintained balance between these two hormones in a woman’s body which can be affected by ACE’s, thus, leading to auto-immune diseases.

The author however states that the effect due to ACE’s is not irreversible, and there are remedies available. The first one is meditation and the second is forgiving and letting go of the past. However, it is also imperative for parents and soon-to-be parents to keep a note on their child’s development to prevent ACE’s.

You can also read this book online for free or just scroll through a short book summary of the book.

How to Raise an Adult

This book is about the right way of parenting and the ill effects of over-parenting. There is a right balance between protecting our children and helping them face adversities by themselves. This book gives us tips and tricks to handle this tough of parenting.

The author suggests that parents should not hover over everything their children do, including planning their life. While parents might deem it necessary to safeguard their children, it makes their children stunted in terms of mental and emotional growth and will hamper them from becoming functioning adults. Studies suggest that children who have been overburdened since childhood due to their overbearing parents and their expectations are more likely to turn to drugs and abusive substances for stress relief or performance enhancements. Furthermore, it also leaves children unable to get the jobs they desire due to a lack of maturity and independence.

How to Raise an Adult offers solutions to this dilemma. 

Firstly, parents should strive to be authoritarian, instead of permissive and authoritative. Being an authoritarian parent includes demanding good results from your children in academic and extracellular activities, yet allowing them to choose their activities of interest. Such parents are attentive to the needs of their children and are available emotionally.

Secondly, parents need to teach their children skills and the value of hard work along with the value of having fun. Because, playtime allows a child to discover new things, make new friends, and develop new interests. Since children always look up to their parents, parents must demonstrate to their children that they too enjoy some relation after a day of hard work.

Thirdly, parents are advised to listen to their children and be emotionally available for them. Children need to make their own decisions but parents should ensure that they are approachable to their children should they need help in making the right decisions. 

This know-how, according to the author, can help benefit parents and soon-to-be parents in raising capable adults.

The book is available on all major book summary websites, where you can quickly go through the short book summary to know the core essence of the book.

Creative Schools

Also a part of most searched top book summaries, this book talks about children, who despite their natural inclination towards learning new things, despise schools. As such, the author provides the solution to this paradox in the form of ‘creative schools’ which approach education with the perspective of making it fun and enjoyable for children.

The author explores the problem of modern schooling which standardizes education. A child with other skills besides academics becomes discouraged due to mounting academic pressure and lack of scope of growth in their respective talents. Children are encouraged to cram knowledge left behind by their previous generations and have to appear for tests n the same which destroys their creativity and they gradually lose their interest n schools and education. The education system can be compared to a factory that yields an output in the form of graduates without delving deeper into the quality of graduates. 

Creative Schools says that the most important role played in this entire scenario are teachers who must try to find out and foster the curiosity and interests of children and not kill it. They are advised to allow the children to use their natural inclination to gain new skills. Furthermore, expecting good results from your students and encouraging them also gives them the push to work harder. Secondly, the author suggests that the education system should focus on teaching children the ‘eight c’s’ method which will help children mature and develop in a way that will lead to better career perspectives and become better citizens. Most importantly, the author points out that everyone can help contribute to help improve the modern schooling system. The primary to play in this is the principals and the policymakers. 

At the end of the day, making schooling fun and yet, educational is a collaborative effect of the entire society. This will help children become intelligent, happy, and responsible citizens.

These are some of the few books that you should look out for if you are a parent or a soon-to-be parent and wish to give your children the best guidance in life.