We humans are pretty clever. We€ve mastered fire, invented the wheel, calculated the age of the Universe, sent people to the Moon, built machines that think, and cracked the genome. So you€d think that with all our smarts, somebody would€ve come up with a surefire formula for raising kids. Maybe that€s because every child, like every parent, is an individual, and no two parent-child relationships are ever the same. So, you can give up any notions of being a perfect parent. But, you can learn to keep the big mistakes to a minimum and make the parenting enterprise easier and more rewarding for your children and you. Which is where this book comes in. Whether you€re child is a newborn, a teen, or somewhere in-between, Parenting For Dummies gives you the scoop on parenting basics. From dealing with a crying baby and potty training, to building self-esteem and talking with them about sex, it offers a gold mine of up-to-date advice and guidance on how to:
- Learn to communicate with your kids
- Develop a good relationship with your kids
- Keep your kids safe and healthy
- Help your kids grow up to be good people
- Keep your cool and control their behavior
- Discipline constructively and with a minimum of stress
- Build self-esteem in your children
- Avoid committing the parenting sins your parents taught you
Experts Sandy and Dan Gookin€"she€s the parenting expert for Parents Magazine and Working Mother Magazine and he€s a father of four€"avoid the psychological hype and medical terminology and give you the straight poop on all aspects of child-rearing, including:
- Speaking and listening to kids
- The importance of being consistent
- Keeping a sense of humor
- Dealing with babies
- Childhood growth and development
- Health and nutrition
- Kids€ changing physical needs
- Developing a good person
Written by parents for parents, Parenting For Dummies gives you the know-how and skills you need to be the parent of healthy, happy kids.