Love, Laughter and Parenting

by Steve Biddulph

Book Overview

You don't buy a car just so you can change the oil! And you don't have a baby just to feed it and change his or her diapers. Yet most childcare books treat childhood like a series of problems and miss... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789471825
• ISBN13: 9780789471826
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 2.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.0" x 10.4"

Customer Reviews

Great book on parenting

Chapter 1 Parenting and Why it MattersChapter 2 Pregnancy and Birth - The Inside StoryChapter 3 Babe in ArmsChapter 4 The Mobile BabyChapter 5 Toddlers!!!Chapter 6 The Special Job of FatherChapter 7 The Preschool YearsWhat this book includes:Personal experiences by moms and dads and offer advice that worked for themLots of colorful illustrationsOver 30 activity boxes throughout the book with practical things you can do - games, actions or ideas suited to each statge of growthGive a short list of recommended books to readAt the end of the book, it includes useful addresses including phone numbers and websites if the organization/company has one.Some of the topics the book discusses:Single MotheringGetting to Know Your Baby's PersonalityA section on reducing the risk ofr SIDSCommunication TechniquesThe 3 Stages of disciplineA section on sheltering their innocenceA chapter devoted on the special job of the father, including the difference a father makes in a child's life

Real-life parenting with pictures to match :)

Steve and Shaaron Biddulph are also the authors of the international bestseller: The Secret of Happy Children. They work worldwide with children's charities and grassroots organizations to raise the importance of parenting. While many books focus on diapers, feeding and childhood illnesses, this is a funny and serious book which inspires parents to realize how to nurture their children. This is a book by parents for parents. The authors feel that parents and other suitable resource people are the best equipped to decide how to raise children. The ideas and methods described in this book are suggestions and options offered from the lives and experiences of other parents. Readers should use their own good judgment in deciding if these ideas are well suited for their family. The book is written so that it reads smoothly. They use the word "them" instead of he/she. There are also plenty of funny cartoons and a special "Father's Diary" is scattered in excerpts throughout the book. The humor is hilarious and you just have to laugh when you read the funny question and answer section on pregnancy. Q: "What is the most common pregnancy craving?" A: For men to be the ones who get pregnant. There are over 30 activity pages with practical things you can do in order to help your child at each stage of growth. True life stories will show you how other parents survived and conquered the daily challenges of family life during each stage. The five stages of early childhood include: pregnancy, babe-in-arms, mobile baby, toddlers, pre-school children. If you are just trying to decide when to have a baby (as I am! eternally) or trying to figure out how you can help your relationship stay strong through the process of having children, you will want to read this book. How do you teach a child about the feelings of others? How do you handle being a single parent? Can bath time, car time and shopping time REALLY be fun? How can you teach good behavior without using fear or physical punishment? I guess the quote on the first page of this book is quite an emotional statement if you are just dreaming about the possibility of having a baby. I thought it was one of the most beautiful quotes about children I have read so far. I think all men should read what Steve has written here: "By the time your children are raised, you may be five times the man you would have been if you'd stayed childless." There is something very emotional about imagining the man you love is holding your child. Perhaps it is the sense of overwhelming love, but it always makes me feel a bit teary eyed. I think this book will do that to you. It is so real and down-to-earth in its approach. The first chapter deals with the issues I am facing and an issue many people are facing at this very moment. "Are we ready for a baby?" They have this "Mixed-feelings" exercise which tells you to "pretend you are already pregnant." Do you enjoy being child-free or do you really want to bring a chi