As with many things in my parenting life, the inspiration for this topic came from the lovely Ellen Fisher. Vegan mama of three, island-dweller and all-round beautiful earth goddess, she is somebody whom Ann and I love to look up to.

The positive parenting content on her sumptuous YouTube channel inspires me to take my parenting more slowly, to be more present, and to fully benefit from every little moment with my sweet baby boy before he grows up (which will be all too quickly, according to… all parents, everywhere).

Let’s start with what it’s not: it is not permissive parenting. This isn’t about letting your children rule the roost while you watch on, all passive and misty-eyed.

It’s about respecting your little one as a person in his/her own right, whilst setting reasonable boundaries. As Dr. Seuss says, “a person’s a person, no matter how small”.

It’s also about keeping in mind that a little person doesn’t yet have the brain wiring to act in a manipulative manner, i.e. when they have a screaming fit in the middle of a supermarket, they are not purposely trying to push all your buttons. They are just trying to cope with a big emotion, and mostly, they are needing to be seen and heard. And don’t we all just want to be seen and heard after all?

The concept of positive parenting can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to think that we’re just getting everything wrong. But Rebecca Eanes’ book provides easily applicable tweaks, with relatable scenarios and ‘scripts’, that you will soon find yourself saying almost automatically.

In today’s video I share my thoughts about this handy little book, and one of my favourite takeaways.

? Buy the book here: The Newbie’s Guide to Positive Parenting. 

Have you read this book? I’d love to know what you thought of it.

And if you have any other recommendations for parenting books, I’m all ears!