“Never before had I felt that I was doing so bad at something I longed to be good at.” –Michaeleen Doucleff, author of Hunt, Gather, Parent
Last time we checked, babies didn’t come with instructions. So, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and revert to a “worst-case scenario” mindset when anything and everything goes wrong.
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I can’t tell you how many times I heard “Wait until you have kids” in the first 7 years of my OT career.
I have a Bachelors in Health Science, a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, and countless hours of continuing education and certifications specializing in pediatrics. I am a child development professional. What does it mean, “wait until I have kids”?
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I picked this book because The 5 Love Languages have solidly made their way into popular culture. And while you can’t really find out your child’s Myers-Briggs type or Enneagram until much much later, their primary love language does start showing signs early on.
As a parent, I will do anything to understand my kids better. And with most parenting books, I take them with a grain of salt and I can generally pick out an odd pearl or two of wisdom to pass along for my review. For this book, the pearls came from the first 6 chapters, discussing the love languages themselves. Unfortunately, this back half of this book was a bit of a letdown. I rarely say this, but you’re probably fine just reading this review instead of reading the entire book.
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Trust is a necessary foundation in establishing a bond and engaging with another being. It is a safe space between one another that is free from judgment or pain. But, trust doesn’t “just happen”; one’s actions and behaviors help people determine if someone is trustworthy. As parents, we have a huge influence in how our children develop trust with themselves and others. This assurance is significant to their social, cognitive, and emotional development.
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How parents raise their children has always been up for speculation and criticism since the post-WWII days of Dr. Spock. His book published in 1946, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, suggested that parents knew the best way to raise their kids. He even states in the introduction, “You know more than you think you do.”
He advised that the more care, contact, and consideration a parent invested into their child, the better their child will turn out. How you did it, for the most part, was completely up to you.
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Child(ish) Advice 