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Twin Cities Mom Collective

Expert Guidance – Love It or Leave It?

Let me start out and defend myself by saying that in all aspects of my life, I operate with the best of intentions. That being said, I have a confession to make. I have not read one single book cover-to-cover on parenting. I guess I did read one book on infant sleep habits, but I’m pretty sure that I was in a very desperate, sleep-deprived state, so it was more of a scan versus a thorough read of the book.

The very day that I had a positive home pregnancy test, I ran out to my Barnes and Noble and got myself the latest version of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Like many moms I was excited to learn about what was going on inside of my body and take in the full experience. My eagerness to keep up with each chapter that corresponded with my current week of pregnancy came to a screeching halt at about 7 weeks in when an ultrasound confirmed that we were to have twins.

Back almost 6 years ago, carrying multiples was a separate chapter within these books or a part of the appendix. The modified language and difference in advice for a multiple birth versus a singleton began to scare me slightly so I kept the reading to a bare minimum. It was maybe naïve of me to not read up on my pregnancy, but I left the teaching in my physician’s very capable hands.

Now with two very active and healthy 5 year old boys on my hands, I find myself in a similar predicament. My desire to read parenting literature takes a backseat to sleep, time with my family, work, etc., etc. I do have copies of the Super Nanny’s book and, in the spirit of full disclosure; I had someone once recommended that I read Raising Your Spirited Child. You would think that I would have run out to grab that one, but again, not a good student of parenting practices – it’s still within my Amazon wish list. And at some point I do plan to read the Love and Logic series…seriously, sometime soon.

I hate to admit this, but as our family grows out of our toddler years, I’m feeling like we need to consider that expert advice once again. We maybe should not just rely on our own insights and those opinions gathered from our inner circle. So, in your personal opinion what are the best resources to read and review based on what you value in your household?

Truthfully, I want happy, well-adjusted kids, but I know we can hope for so much more. My husband and I want them to be confident, kind to others, show gratitude, be self-motivated, and commit to being a lifelong learner. So, I’m curious. What are your parenting goals? And, what have you read about parenting that has really rocked your world and helped you work towards these goals?

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2 comments

Suzanne February 21, 2014 at 1:31 PM

I didn’t know this about you and I know you well! I like your laid back style…it’s working with those boys.

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Jenny January 6, 2016 at 6:31 PM

The best way to raise your kids to be all of those things is to be them yourself. Monkey see, monkey do really happens.

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