Resources
Recommended Reading
Easy to Love,
Difficult to Discipline
Dr. Becky Bailey emphasizes the importance of starting with the adult first in her book, Easy to Love. Difficult to Discipline. She believes that parents and caregivers must manage their own emotions and reactions before they can effectively guide their children. By focusing on self-awareness and emotional regulation, adults can model the behaviors they want to see in their children, creating a calmer, more supportive environment for growth and discipline.
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté, MD reveals how societal pressures on parents and children distort true health, causing emotional and behavioral issues. Maté argues that the conventional ideas of “normal” parenting often fuel stress, trauma, and disconnection, urging parents to prioritize emotional health and genuine connection over societal expectations for their children’s well-being.
Patterns Over Time:
A Research Summary
In Patterns Over Time, Gloria DeGaetano, M.Ed synthesizes over 200 studies (from the 1960s to the present day) on the impact of too much screen time on 15 aspects of child and adolescent development. Reading this book, parents and teachers can make choices for children and teens about technology with more ease and confidence, knowing their decisions align with best practices for healthy development.
Atomic Habits
Jonathan Haidt's Anxious Generation examines the rising mental health struggles among today's youth, particularly due to the impact of social media and societal shifts. The book explores how over-parenting in the real world and under parenting in the digital world, along with heightened political polarization, and digital environments contribute to anxiety and depression in young people, urging for a change in culture to foster resilience.
Atomic Habits
James Clear explores how small, incremental changes in habits can lead to remarkable personal transformation over time. Clear also emphasizes the power of environment and identity in shaping our habits, showing how small adjustments in our surroundings can lead to lasting changes in behavior and mindset. The book offers practical strategies for building good habits, breaking bad ones, and mastering the art of continuous improvement.
Conscious Loving
Conscious Loving by Gay and Katie Hendricks teaches how to build authentic, loving relationships through emotional honesty and personal responsibility. It offers tools for transforming harmful patterns and fostering deeper connection between partners. The book encourages the reader to embrace vulnerability, clear communication, and self-awareness as key practices to create lasting intimacy and emotional fulfillment in their relationships.