Iron Gate Press
ISBN: 978-0991466009
Published: Oct 2014
Softcover, 148 pages
I've been reading parenting books since the day I unexpectedly found out I was pregnant with my daughter almost 15 years ago. Most of the ones I read were memorable and enhanced my whole motherhood experience, from the pregnancy stage, to breastfeeding, the toddler years, school and middle-grade years. Each book gave me insight in areas I needed at the right time.
Even though I have a degree in Special Care Counselling and I have worked with special needs children, when it comes to mothering, I feel I am always learning, and I like to keep an open mind.
Dr. Susan Newman's book has come at the right time in my life. In a relatively short period of time I went from part-time work to full-time and my kids are growing up fast in an age where technology exposes them to things and experiences (both good and bad) at a rate that has my husband and me struggling to keep up.
Little Things is a book that is handy to have because it makes a parent pro-active in ways that one may not have thought of. It also reminds us of things we used to do but not as much because we work more and our kids are getting older. It has practical ideas like keeping a whiteboard centrally located (we have ours in the kitchen) to write notes or messages to each other. This is one of the best ideas as it has helped create many memorable moments in our family when we had discussions and used the whiteboard to draw.
Little Things is a small book that fits neatly in a handbag. It looks and seems deceptively simple. It's basically a list—divided into categories— about making your children feel special every day. The ideas and suggestions may seem obvious and many of us parents are doing lots of them already with our families, but as the children grow and times change, so do family dynamics. Therefore, we can always use more ideas to re-connect, create special bonding moments and remind us that we are never too busy.
It would be easy to dismiss this book as a re-hash of simple parenting advice, but I think it's neat to have a handy resource that I can look through for good ideas. After looking through the book I decided to try these ideas:
1. What should I wear? I asked my 13 year-old daughter to pick out something for me to wear to a meeting. She has a flair for style and was so happy I asked her opinion.
2. Lunch box messages: I used to do this with my kids who hated eating at school, but once my daughter started high school and she didn't bring lunch as often, I stopped doing it. I started doing it again. My daughter loves getting special notes.
3. Planning meals with the children: Working full time has changed the way I prepare supper (they're easy and fast and well...boring) so I started asking the kids what they want to eat. I feel less stressed about supper and the kids complain less.
Who would benefit the most from this book? All parents, grandparents, and anyone who interacts with children, such as educators, social workers, daycare workers and librarians. But especially for teen parents (we tend to forget that this is a reality for some teens); for parents who are going through difficult transitional stages (loss of job, taking care of aging parents, battling depression, etc) and who are stressed with their daily demands. Dr. Susan reassures us that even 5-minute heartfelt acts throughout the day can become special and can help both the parent and child cope with their long days at work and school.
Little Things would also make a good gift for new parents since it's easy to use and would not overwhelm sleep-deprived moms and dads. Dr. Susan has taken her years of work with both children in the field and in her household to bring us a useful resource book that reminds us of the many joys of parenting.
Little Things is a book that is handy to have because it makes a parent pro-active in ways that one may not have thought of. It also reminds us of things we used to do but not as much because we work more and our kids are getting older. It has practical ideas like keeping a whiteboard centrally located (we have ours in the kitchen) to write notes or messages to each other. This is one of the best ideas as it has helped create many memorable moments in our family when we had discussions and used the whiteboard to draw.
Little Things is a small book that fits neatly in a handbag. It looks and seems deceptively simple. It's basically a list—divided into categories— about making your children feel special every day. The ideas and suggestions may seem obvious and many of us parents are doing lots of them already with our families, but as the children grow and times change, so do family dynamics. Therefore, we can always use more ideas to re-connect, create special bonding moments and remind us that we are never too busy.
It would be easy to dismiss this book as a re-hash of simple parenting advice, but I think it's neat to have a handy resource that I can look through for good ideas. After looking through the book I decided to try these ideas:
1. What should I wear? I asked my 13 year-old daughter to pick out something for me to wear to a meeting. She has a flair for style and was so happy I asked her opinion.
2. Lunch box messages: I used to do this with my kids who hated eating at school, but once my daughter started high school and she didn't bring lunch as often, I stopped doing it. I started doing it again. My daughter loves getting special notes.
3. Planning meals with the children: Working full time has changed the way I prepare supper (they're easy and fast and well...boring) so I started asking the kids what they want to eat. I feel less stressed about supper and the kids complain less.
Who would benefit the most from this book? All parents, grandparents, and anyone who interacts with children, such as educators, social workers, daycare workers and librarians. But especially for teen parents (we tend to forget that this is a reality for some teens); for parents who are going through difficult transitional stages (loss of job, taking care of aging parents, battling depression, etc) and who are stressed with their daily demands. Dr. Susan reassures us that even 5-minute heartfelt acts throughout the day can become special and can help both the parent and child cope with their long days at work and school.
Little Things would also make a good gift for new parents since it's easy to use and would not overwhelm sleep-deprived moms and dads. Dr. Susan has taken her years of work with both children in the field and in her household to bring us a useful resource book that reminds us of the many joys of parenting.
Note: This book is rated C = clean read.
To read more reviews and follow the tour, please visit the iRead page for Little Things Long Remembered
Susan Newman, a social psychologist, specializes in child development and family dynamics and has been named one of the 100 Top Psychologists to Follow on Twitter as well as one of 25 Parenting Educators to follow. She has been blogging for Psychology Todaymagazine about parenting and issues related to raising children for over six years: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/singletons.
She has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, and her work has been feature on NPR and major leading newspapers and magazines.
Connect with Susan: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
And now for the giveaway!
Dr. Susan Newman is graciously giving away 15 copies of Little Things Long Remembered and also 3 copies of The Case for the Only Child.
Reviewed by Laura
Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.
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