Connected Parenting: Set Loving Limits and Build Strong Bonds with Your Child for Life

Practical, realistic, counterintuitive but she said it would be!

I started this book and like a fad diet, turned away about 1/4 of the way through. I couldn't do what it was telling me to do for more than two days. I frequently lost my temper with my children, I was exhausted and I just couldn't get myself to believe that the problem was me and not them. After all, they were the ones who were acting out and driving me crazy. How was I supposed to mirror and empathize when I believed they were capable of controlling their anger and outbursts and that they were just little monsters alot of the time? It was so counterintuitive i gave up. I couldn't hug my child in the middle of a tantrum, the thought of doing this everytime felt impossible. Then I came back to the book almost 3 months later because it was there in the back of my mind, nagging at me. Nothing else seemed to be working and I liked the way Jennifer Kolari wrote. She was concise, funny and she said there would be no miracles but there would be results with hardwork. So I thought to myself, this is like anything else, with hard work and consistency and patience, it has to work. I finished the book and I have to say it was like getting advice from your best friend if your best friend happened to be an expert in her field. Kolari is down to earth and doesn't speak down to any parent. She provides tools but more than that, she provides a parenting lifestyle. A way of viewing your children and yourself so that you can approach difficult situations with some confidence for yourself and some mercy for your children. As she says, you owe it to your child and you really have no choice but to do this because the alternative is tremendously more difficult. I am very thankful to have found this. Like others, I also wish it was available in audiobook format. She has some talks on YouTube and she is entertaining to listen to. Read more