BOOK REVIEW by Parenting Guide
Confident Kids Review
After reading Confident Kids over 5 times, I still can’t grasp how helpful it is as I always find new details every time I read again. This book, written by Tom Songer, The Homeschool Professor, goes through key parenting skills that will help you bring up confident, well-rounded and happy as possible. You should read this book now, not a month from now as it is much easier to bring up great kids than struggle in the future trying to fix their problems.
The first thing that I feel is a giant benefit is how Confident Kids tackles each and every stage of your child’s life. The book addresses all the issues and how you can prepare yourself and think ahead at every stage - whether it be babyhood, toddlers or children starting to go to school. For example, the first chapter talks about instilling confidence in your baby at a very young age. The second chapter talks about upbringing values of confidence in toddlers. Lastly, the last chapter, A Confident Child, shows you how to put things into perspective and shape a confident child.
I personally feel that this point will be extremely helpful to many parents. This point is literally about getting straight to the point. Tom Songer, The Homeschool Professor, doesn’t beat around the bush and tells you a long story of why this book is significant. Instead, he explains to you the problems you might be facing and how to overcome them in a simple and easy to understand way.
I honestly love this book because it talks about issues most of us wouldn’t think of. The second chapter about babies is an excellent example of this. Think of one point that is causing your baby to be rowdy. Think of one reason why your baby cries all the time. I’m sure that most of you reading this now would not think of communication. This is because we feel that babies do not often talk so, communication doesn’t matter. Babies can actually understand much more than you think so, speaking to the baby in a language they can comprehend is crucial. Sing, encourage him to mimic your voice and the sounds they hear around them.
Let’s look at the third chapter shall we - Confident Toddlers. I love how in Confident Toddlers, the book clearly explains how you should act in front of your toddler and what behaviour you should show. I like how it introduces parents to many different situations like what to do in the playground or what kinds of toys and play items to buy. It also personally addresses what each parent can do, the mother and the father of the child. I would recommend this book to all parents because nowadays, it is not rare to see parents fighting over small, petty issues like why dad forgot to tell the Mcdonalds cashier to don’t add pickles. You should not act like this in front of your toddler as they will grow up seeing that and mimic you in the future.
In the same chapter, the book also touches on topics like spending time with your children and how parents can achieve closer bonds. Other points like risk-taking and how you can allow your toddler to take calculated risks are also mentioned. Lastly, the book talks about how to deal with your child when their sweet little babies turn into the ‘terrible twos’, this is also the time where your patience is being tested.
In my opinion, the last chapter, A Confident Child, is the most important of them all. Toddlers and babies are phases that do not last long however, childhood lasts much longer compared to the 2. There is no confirmed date set in stone but in general ranges from 6 to 12. This stage lasts for a long time so be prepared to face many of these issues over and over again.
This chapter talks about how you can be a role model. This is important because children look up to their parents and, if they see mom or dad is doing something, they will feel like they can do it too. This works both positively and negatively. This chapter also looks into the kind of things parents say to their children and how you can frame it into a better and more constructive manner. I love the chapter because it talks about how to use the right language and communicate with them in a way that praises them when they need to be appreciated.
Going back to my second point about issues we don’t usually think of, this chapter advises parents on the child’s mentality. If you have 2 children, 1 acting rowdy on his bed and the other playing nicely on the floor, which child gets more attention? The naughty child would get more attention. Since the child behaving nicely gets ignored, he or she will act rowdy in the future to obtain more attention. Usual parents wouldn’t think of these kinds of situations and how it impacts the child’s mindset. This is why I felt this book is crucial as it opens your mind up to the bigger picture.
Generally, I feel that this book is an exciting eye-opener to many parents and, it is also a fantastic guide for those that need help. Tom Songer, The Homeschool Professor will show you the way to bring up a confident kid.
Parenting Guide
Best Seller June 2020