November 28, 2012 was a great day for parents of toddlers. In fact, it was a great day for parents of all children. On November 28, 2012, Dr. Laura Markham’s first book, “Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids : How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting” was released. If you are already familiar with Dr. Laura Markham through her web site, Aha Parenting, then you know just how wonderful this news is.
I can not remember how I first came across the Aha Parenting web site, but I can say that I visit it regularly, especially when I am feeling run down, worn out, and in need of a reminder of why it is so important to parent in a mindful and sensitive way. Dr. Laura Markham is a psychologist turned parenting coach, and the parenting approach that she advocates focuses on nurturing the relationship between the parent and the child. In a nutshell, when parents stop yelling and foster a closer relationship with their children, behavior improves without the use of punishments or consequences because the children want to cooperate.
One core principle of her parenting approach involves the parent learning to manage his or her own emotions. This principle works in two ways. First, a parent who can keep his or her emotions in check can respond to their children without having a tantrum of their own. I must admit that I am guilty of such parental temper tantrums from time to time and I am looking forward to learning how to avoid them. Secondly, when parents are able to remain calm and process emotions effectively, they serve as models of emotional self regulation for their children.
I am excited that Dr. Laura Markham’s book is now available. I’m reading a bit of it each day on Kindle for Android on my smartphone, when the kids are in bed. Since I love to read about parenting, it’s a little treat for myself.
Photo by kabir on morguefile.com.