How-To-Books on Parenting and ....Life

I have to admit I love to pick up the latest book “How-To-Book”. Whether it's on parenting, business or management, self-help, whatever...well, I don't tend to pick up those concerned with building, gardening, maintenance and repairs.

Anyways, I find that I do not adopt what the author is saying as the only way to go on the topic. I'm bit skeptical of the only one way approach to life but I usually find helpful information in various approaches and adopt what I feel is right for me in my particular situation. When I was reading Michael Ungar's book, he certainly mentioned that there are differing styles of parenting and—my interpretation here—depending upon the situation, the child's temperament, the parent's mood, etc., we deal with things in ways that feel good (or sometimes unfortunately not so good).

Brings me back to self-help books. I truly believe that you can pick up some worthwhile ideas on parenting or other life lessons without the need to go over the top. It seems that like New Year's Resolutions, people, will go all out with a particular method of behaving for a short period of time and then lapse into old habits. Well, I'm not sure about the old habits. I do find that by trying out differing behaviours you have changed your repertoire of reactions and hopefully have learned some new ways.

Often by just looking at a situation from a different framework, you will see new solutions to old problems. Whether you have gained a new insight from a self-help book or by listening more closely to your child or partner or hearing a speaker lecture on some topic, you take away from it a new and fresh perspective.

When dealing with a child or teen today, see if you can change the way you react. Think of other angles to look at the problem. In fact, perhaps, let them solve the problem.

As found in Michael Ungar's book (see previous blogs) Try Something Different. It may surprise you that it works too or even better than what you were going to do.

Maybe even pick up a self-help book and scan it for some ideas.