12 brand new parenting books- a brief review of each!

As the single most frequent complication of childbirth, Dunnewold and Sanford understand the importance of caring for yourself emotionally in order to succeed through the postpartum period and through the new adventures of motherhood.

The Idle Parent: Why Laid-back Parents Raise Happier and Healthier Kids (By: Tom Hodgkinson)

Modern parenting finds itself somewhere between being an at-the-ready personal assistant and constant lifeguard. Structuring your child’s entire day, fighting all their battles, and answering to their whim can be exhausting and developmentally unhelpful. In this wry take on modern parenting, Tom Hodgkinson outlines a style that proves beneficial to both parent and child, without smothering either one. Take it slow! Let your children nurture themselves and create a personality based on independence. This does not mean you can let teaching traditional values fall by the wayside – such as manners, respect, and responsibility. What it does allow is giving your space and time to grow up self-reliant, confident, and free. By giving them everything and continuing this trend of “helicopter parenting”, parents encourage an environment that stifles independence and creativity. Plus, by easing back, parents can relax! Instead of filling every second of every day with playdates and extra tutoring – Hodgkinson suggests finding out what makes you both happy. Empowering your children to run their own lives will have both parties feeling more appreciated, healthy and satisfied!

Marry Yourself First: Revised Edition (By: Ken Donaldson)

Marry YourSelf First!  aims to rejuvenate your career, restore your purpose, and create lasting success in your life and relationships, through the coaching and counseling of veteran psychotherapist and master relationship coach, Ken Donaldson. By focusing on change, knowing who you are, what you want, what you don’t want, and the direction of your life, Donaldson believes you can discover your truly unique and passionate purpose in order to create relationship bliss. This book will guide you through exercises and a different way of thinking, in order to obtain the things you really want in life.

You’re Not the Boss of Me: Brat Proofing Your 4 to 12 Year Old Child (By: Betsy Brown Braun)

Afraid your child is becoming a brat? Author Betsy Brown Braun guides parents through the behavioral challenges of 4-12 year olds with her hands-on parenting tips.  Following Braun’s advice from You’re Not the Boss of Me will help your child: get over the Gimmes, tell the truth, be self-reliant, develop empathy, show gratitude, be respectful, take responsibility, be independent, and exercise humor. Through Betsy Brown Braun’s witty, supportive, and educational writing style, parents will be able to prevent their children from becoming brats, or if they have already passed that point, to break those bratty bad habits.

The Kitchen Shrink (By: Dora Calott Wang M.D.)

Prior to the healthcare reform under President Obama, Dora Calott Wang held true to her values of patient care through medicine, rather than a profit driven business. Through Wang’s personal memoirs sharing stories of depression and frustration with medicine and the healthcare system, we realize how disappointing our current for-profit healthcare system truly is. Dr. Want never lets readers forget that the  medical profession didn’t always operate as it does now. Doctors used to be on call 24/7 and a visit to a patient’s home was a regularity, not an otherworldly gesture. Everyone from legislators to physicians to common patients can benefit from reading this book and understanding more about our complicated and changing healthcare system.

The Everyday Advocate: How to Stand Up for Your Autistic Child (By: Areva Martin, Esq.)

Autistic children need more than a parent; they need an advocate. They need someone to fight for them- their right to treatments, services, and for simple kindness from other people.  The Everyday Advocate will teach you how to stand up for your child with autism and how to see results. Some of the things the book addresses: Getting a diagnosis, the principles of advocacy, balancing a career and a child with autism, navigating the therapy maze, and networking with other families affected by autism. Written through success stories, frustrations, and helpful website resources, Martin’s knowledge will be sure to inspire you to take action and to learn that advocacy can make a difference.

Matters of the Mind and the Heart: Meeting the Challenges of Alzheimer Care (By: Beverly Moore, RN, CS)

Beverly Moore understands that as a society of professional care partners, patients, and family members, we must concentrate on providing positive and compassionate living situations through education and the sharing of best care practices. She brings forward her years of expertise about Alzheimer patients and care partners through compassion and understanding, and in a way we can all easily understand. The book focuses on memory loss and explains the behaviors of people living with Alzheimer’s disease. Through personal stories and achievements, Matters of the Mind and the Heart teaches readers that all families can be taught better ways to care for their loved ones, which include responsibility, laughter, and validation.

Cool Sports Dad: 75 Amazing Sporting Tricks to Teach and Impress Your Kids (By: David Fischer)

Any Dad who wishes he knew a bit more about certain aspects of sport, or even if he knows and wishes he could teach the kids in a clearer way – this book is for him. With tricks, tips, and testimonials from some of the most popular athletes in their respective sports, this book has practical and relatable lessons on the major how-to’s of every sport. Learn how to throw a football in a flawless spiral from Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, choose the right baseball bat with Mets Third Basemen David Wright, and learn to blast a goal kick with MLS All-Time saves leader Tony Meola. Perfect for Father’s Day and the start of all the summer activities, this book will have Dad and the kids out on the driveway or in the backyard improving their game, and more importantly having fun together!

The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms: The Things You Need to Know That No One Ever Tells You (By: Erica Wells & Lorraine Regal)

Having your first child can be frightening, overwhelming, and confusing, along with exciting, and amazing.  Some parents may fear they remain clueless and have no idea what to expect during their first year of motherhood. Erica Wells and Lorraine Regal offer every day tips and stories about being a new mother. In this informative and fun go-to-guide, answers to all types of questions for new mothers are answered, from hair color to diaper rash. With “comrades’ recommendations,” “survival secrets,” and “tips from the trenches” from fellow moms, The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms will leave you feeling confident and prepared for your first year of motherhood.

Parenting Out of Control (By: Margaret K. Nelson)

Along the same lines as The Idle Parent Margaret Nelson explores the dangerous “helicopter” trend facing parenting in the modern age. Nelson illuminates the motivations, personal histories, and practical dilemmas that affect parenting choices in our changing world. Today’s technology advancements allow these “hovercraft” parents to have virtual umbilical cords constantly attached to their kids. Communicating, supervising, and even spying on children has never been easier since the advent of cell phones, social networking sites and GPS devices. Drawing from first-hand interviews with parents across the country, Nelson cuts through the stereotypes and hyberole to examine what she terms “parenting out of control”. Looking at this phenonon from a sociological pathway, Nelson finds several striking explanations as to why parents behave in this manner, and what happens when it goes too far.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.