When love is not enough...

"Good-enough parenting" will get most people by the normal trials and tribulations of living with kids. Parents of difficult children need more skills than come naturally. Parenting a difficult child requires knowledge of techniques and principles that work with hard-to-raise kids. After twenty years of parenting, the following books and authors are highly recommended.

Keep this in mind: Skills must fit your value system and your personality. If a book speaks to you, it probably fits. If an author leaves you cold, it's not for you. Trust your intuition.

= Elaine's Favorite books.

Understanding "normal"

• Your 2 Year Old : Terrible or Tender; Louise Bates Ames, Frances L. Ilg; Paperback
• Your One-Year-Old : The Fun-Loving, Fussy 12-To 24-Month-Old; Louise Bates, Ames, et al; Paperback
• Your Three Year Old : Friend or Enemy; Louise Bate Ames, Frances L. Ilg; Paperback
• Your Four-Year-Old : Wild and Wonderful; Louise B. Ames, Frances L. Ilg; Paperback
• Your 5 Year Old : Sunny and Serene; Louise Bates Ames, Frances L. Ilg; Paperback
• Your Six-Year-Old : Loving and Defiant; Louise Bates Ames, Frances L. Ilg; Paperback
• Your Ten to Fourteen Year Old; Louise Bates Ames, et al;

Understanding the difficult child

• Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach by Howard Glasser and Jennifer Easley. "Shifting the intense child to new patterns of success and strengthening all children on the inside." Stongly Recommended!
• The Difficult Child; Stanley, M.D. Turecki, Leslie Tonner
• The Emotional Problems of Normal Children : How Parents Can Understand and Help; Stanley, M.D. Turecki, Sarah, Ph.D. Wernick
• Normal Children Have Problems, Too : How Parents Can Understand and Help; Stanley Turecki, Sarah Wernick

Establishing a solid relationship:

Relationships are built on trust and trust is built on communication. These techniques are for everyone.

• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk; Adele Faber, et al;
• Siblings Without Rivalry/How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too; Adele Faber, et al;
• Between Brothers and Sisters : A Celebration of Life's Most Enduring Relationship; Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish.
• How to Talk So Kids Can Learn : At Home and in School : What Every Parent and Teacher Needs to Know; Adele Faber, et al.
• Liberated Parents, Liberated Children : Your Guide to a Happier Family; Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish
• Parent/Teen Breakthrough: The Relationship Approach; Mira Kirshenbaum and Charles Foster. ISBN 0-452-26616-5