• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Messy Motherhood

Messy Motherhood

messymotherhood.com

  • Start Here
  • About
  • Free Workshop
  • Coaching
  • Articles
    • Anger Management
    • Family & Motherhood
    • Parenting
  • Show Search
Hide Search

6 Parenting Books That Will Change The Way You See Your Kids

Inside: Parenting books are hard to find, here are the six best parenting books, recommended by a Mental Health Therapist.


Two days ago, a miracle happened. My kids were with my husband, and I had an hour to kill before I had to be at a meeting.

I had an hour to do whatever the heck I wanted!  This Mama had free-time!

I took full advantage and headed straight for our local bookstore, and ran to the fiction area.  I needed a book that could whisk me away from my life of messy kids to a beach with sand, sun, and friends.

My fingers ran across each unbroken spine and I took out book after book, read its synopsis, smelled it’s booky smell and felt its soft pages.

It had been so long since I held a brand new book in my hand.

parenting books, motherhood, good reads, booklist

After a few minutes of perusing, I must have taken a wrong turn at “beach reads” and found myself neck deep in the parenting book section.

At once, I felt myself drowning.

Have you ever looked at the parenting books at a bookstore?  Holy moly the options!

Overwhelm is an understatement.

I can’t imagine a parent walking into that section and not feeling stressed out.  How is someone who’s looking for help able to weed through the hundreds of books and pick one that is accurate, based in real research, not guilt-ridden, and actually helpful?

It seems impossible.

I have read my fair share of parenting books, especially when my boys were young.

Thinking back on that time of my life, I was overpowered by motherhood and was desperately searching for a parenting book that would tell me exactly what I needed to do.

I never found it…

Instead, I found 6 books that I continue to turn to throughout my parenting journey.

 

This post contains affiliate links


The 6 Best Parenting Books That Every Parent Should Read

The Whole-Brain Child

This is hands-down my all-time favorite parenting book.   It’s science-based yet easy to read and implement the techniques inside.

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing MindThe Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind

Siblings Without Rivalry

Want your kids to have an awesome relationship?  Read this book, NOW!

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live TooSiblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too

5 Love Languages of Children

Building a strong connection with a child is the key to good behavior, high self-esteem, and good emotional development.

But sometimes, we’re not speaking our children’s love language and that can lead to frustrated children who don’t feel connected to their parents.

The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children EffectivelyThe 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively

 

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids

Tired of feeling like the bad guy all the time?  Read this book.

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start ConnectingPeaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting

The Gift of Failure 

Want to raise resilient children who succeed in life?  The secret is to let them fail a bit…

The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can SucceedThe Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed

Simplicity Parenting

Because we all need a less chaotic life…including our children

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure KidsSimplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids

There you go!

Now, there’s no need to stand there looking at all those books at the bookstore or scrolling through Amazon trying to decide which book you need.

You can’t go wrong with one of these.

More For You:

  • 4 Books That Will Enhance a Mother’s Life
  • A Tale of a Potty Training Fail
  • 4 Secrets to A Less Stressed Mom

 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts

Amanda

I was a Mental Health Counselor who worked with children and mothers in both individual and group counseling environments before I became a Stay at Home Mom to two boys. I have a Bachelors Degree in Child Development and Family Studies and a Masters in Counseling where I specialized in Play Therapy.

Latest posts by Amanda (see all)

  • One Magical Phrase That Will Get You and Your Spouse on the Same Parenting Page - March 13, 2019
  • The Most Powerful Response When Your Child is Inconsolable - February 11, 2019
  • 5 Myths About Mom Guilt, Debunked - February 8, 2019

by Amanda 10 Comments

Filed Under: Parenting, Popular Posts Tagged With: Books, Motherhood, Parenting, Taking Care of the KIDS

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy @ Around the Thicket

    August 25, 2016 at 3:25 pm

    I am in love with Siblings without Rivalry. I’ve read it twice and my oldest is only two and a half 🙂

    Reply
    • Amanda

      August 29, 2016 at 10:18 am

      I’m in love with it too! It’s by far my favorite parenting book, I suggest it to so many parents.

      Reply
  2. Laurie

    September 8, 2016 at 11:09 pm

    Thanks for this great list! I look forward to checking these out. I adore Brene Brown, though I haven’t read that book yet. I just wanted to add that she has a short–but gem-packed–CD talk on the “The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting” that specifically addresses this book’s message in regards to parenting. It’s fantastic. I borrowed it from my library, then bought a copy so I could listen to it often…

    Reply
  3. Eugenia

    January 26, 2017 at 1:33 pm

    Hi Amanda!!! My names is Eugenia, i live in Córdoba, Argentina. I love your post about negativity, i share it with all my friends. I just prepare my gratitude journal
    trought yoyr posts, i just discovered dra Laura Markham, do yo know if there are translations of her job? i can find any title in spanish
    i will keep reading you

    Reply
  4. Json Converter

    March 3, 2017 at 4:53 am

    Thanks for sharing! It’s very usefull for me!

    Reply
  5. Mefista

    March 8, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    I would add to the list Clutterfree with kids!! Great book <3

    Reply
  6. Deb

    August 12, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    Such a great list, from a fellow child and parent therapist and mommy of two young boys (3 and 3 months)! I have three of the five and love them so am pretty sure I will love the other two! Thank you!

    Reply
  7. Merry Milestones

    September 22, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    This is an excellent list!!

    Reply
  8. Scarlet

    February 23, 2018 at 6:41 pm

    It really is empowering to find a great parenting book. I appreciate your suggestions and I think I will try Simplicity Parenting!

    Reply
    • Amanda

      February 26, 2018 at 8:55 pm

      I agree! I love finding great books, I hope you enjoy Simplicity Parenting!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer

Copyright © 2021 Messy Motherhood • Terms and Conditions • Privacy Policy

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter