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katieproctorbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the mantras at the beginning of the book- and I love how she trickled then throughout the rest. I love the whole idea of choosing to be happy and changing your perspective to see things for how they really are, leaving irrational emotions behind. I love the practical advice in this book, small tweaks to make annoying things like chores way easier. I’ll be thinking about this one and applying as much of it as I can into my own parenting for a long time.
notesonbookmarks's review against another edition
5.0
I think my favorite two things about this book are:
1) the mantras. When I finished I immediately went to her website to see if she has a printable resource. (She does!)
2) the fact that I can probably declutter 5 other parenting books because the wisdom found herein distills what I've learned about siblings, discipline, mealtime, school, bedtime, mornings, etc so well that I don't need a deep dive into all the rest. Thanks to KonMari, I'm all about the thanking books for their service and letting them go.
1) the mantras. When I finished I immediately went to her website to see if she has a printable resource. (She does!)
2) the fact that I can probably declutter 5 other parenting books because the wisdom found herein distills what I've learned about siblings, discipline, mealtime, school, bedtime, mornings, etc so well that I don't need a deep dive into all the rest. Thanks to KonMari, I'm all about the thanking books for their service and letting them go.
gtmommy05's review against another edition
5.0
I already feel like a generally happy parent, but I was looking for any additional inspiration. I found a few new tips, and feel like I received some reinforcement of ideas we already use. Very relatable.
laceydbell's review against another edition
No rating for this non-fiction parenting self-help book. I didn’t know if I would enjoy this or not, but I do think it was helpful to me.
I skipped the chapter about siblings completely, as it doesn’t apply to my family. I also skipped around in the homework chapter. And I completely skipped the chapter on food and picky eaters (luckily, that’s not a problem in my home).
My takeaways:
-Keep up a chores routine, but do chores WITH them
-Let it go
-Instead of saying “no” and “stop” try reinforcing what we want them to remember
-I’m not alone
I skipped the chapter about siblings completely, as it doesn’t apply to my family. I also skipped around in the homework chapter. And I completely skipped the chapter on food and picky eaters (luckily, that’s not a problem in my home).
My takeaways:
-Keep up a chores routine, but do chores WITH them
-Let it go
-Instead of saying “no” and “stop” try reinforcing what we want them to remember
-I’m not alone
borna761's review against another edition
5.0
I'm giving this 5 stars not because it's the best book ever, but just because it gives you hope. You can be a happier parent, and it's very much up to you, regardless of your child. There are also some good tips and suggestions on how to go ahead, but mostly it helped me change my mindset.
jsmitch23's review against another edition
3.0
I read through chapters, skimmed some chapters and skipped some chapters. Did I agree with it all? No. It had some good thoughts though.
shanviolinlove's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of worthwhile tips in this book! How to be a Happier Parent outlines the top stressors most polled parents cited that rob them of the joys of parenting. Based on the content, I would say this book is targeting parents of school-age kids (entire chapters are devoted to homework, sports, and chores of a more complicated nature), so as a mom of two under pre-K kids, I was reading this for more future insight. This book is written in the perspective of a mom reflecting on the do's and don't's of her own parenting experience, as well as other books, resources, and fellow parents weighing in with their research and experience. To be sure, there is no "One Right Method," and Dell'Antonia offers several strategies for every point.
I do agree with some of the reviewers that this book does assume a more affluent readership. The author makes a careful distinction whenever she draws from her own experiences that her family is singular in that they own their own horse farm; but there are also references to hiring nannies and trips to Disneyland (naught for two here). I can see why some of the suggestions (again, suggestions, and some of many) may be alienating. I appreciated the more universally applicable insights into tips about handling hectic mornings, making judgment calls about screen times, being consistent with how you discipline yourself as a text-and-driver or a moody vacationer or picky eater before determining how to parent the younger child next to you. I really liked her point that some of the areas where poor behavior surface are really a child's own frustration or jealousy (this actually came up in the sibling chapter, but I think it cross-references well). Remember: not everything is a tiger, so don't lose your lid. I appreciated the point (foresight for me) about sports and how committing to any one thing early on could lead to major time constraints once your child starts to excel in that area, so don't make mountains out of molehills either. Dell'Antonia's writing style is approachable and organized. I enjoyed gleaning from her insights.
I do agree with some of the reviewers that this book does assume a more affluent readership. The author makes a careful distinction whenever she draws from her own experiences that her family is singular in that they own their own horse farm; but there are also references to hiring nannies and trips to Disneyland (naught for two here). I can see why some of the suggestions (again, suggestions, and some of many) may be alienating. I appreciated the more universally applicable insights into tips about handling hectic mornings, making judgment calls about screen times, being consistent with how you discipline yourself as a text-and-driver or a moody vacationer or picky eater before determining how to parent the younger child next to you. I really liked her point that some of the areas where poor behavior surface are really a child's own frustration or jealousy (this actually came up in the sibling chapter, but I think it cross-references well). Remember: not everything is a tiger, so don't lose your lid. I appreciated the point (foresight for me) about sports and how committing to any one thing early on could lead to major time constraints once your child starts to excel in that area, so don't make mountains out of molehills either. Dell'Antonia's writing style is approachable and organized. I enjoyed gleaning from her insights.
ellemmm3's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
It was ok, but I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know.
It was ok, but I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know.
tmatlin's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty common sense: what we want right now isn’t necessarily what we want later. Basically, we want to help our kids become independent and thoughtful adults, which means not always putting their needs/wants ahead of everyone else’s, and letting them try/fail/try again on their own. A lot of this was interesting, but not really applicable to us until our daughter becomes a lot older (lots about homework, balancing extra curriculars, etc.). Still a nice book to read to help us feel more confident in some of our choices and also to confirm that it’s expected that we’ll mess up as parents and that’s part of normal parenting, too.