Throughout my motherhood journey, there’s one thing I learned pretty early on:  We All Need Help.  Hence, my reasoning behind why I read parenting books.  I’m not saying they are the end-all that solves all.  However, I am saying that they’ve helped me.  I always like to glean some nuggets from those who have been there, done that.  So with that said, I’d like to highlight three of my favorites books in hopes that they will help you as much as they’ve helped me.

I’ll start with a book by a pediatrician, Dr. Meg Meeker. She has written many books and has a podcast, as well.  One of my favorites that she has written is called, “The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers.”  After many decades of being a pediatrician, she’s learned a thing or two about what has kept moms happy and shares her top ten tips in this very relatable book. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was that we all need to understand our worth as a mom. Meg’s book helped to remind me that no one will impact our kids as much as us, their parents. No amount of toys, clothes, gifts, playdates that we schedule, or extracurricular activities we pay for will make our children feel more loved than us.  Their mom.  It is truly a Mom Power book and there are moments in it that will make you beam with happiness because you get the honor to be a mother.

Another fantastic read is a book by a physician, professor, and psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, who is a psychotherapist.  Their book, “No-Drama Discipline,” is a book I wish I had read when my child was younger. I think most moms can relate to the fact that there are times when we have overreacted to our children’s misbehavior and then we feel like we’re the worst moms on the planet. This book will help you break out of that cycle and see things from a completely different light. It explains how the child’s brain is wired and how, as parents, we should first connect with our child then help mitigate the situation.  I certainly know firsthand that blowing a gasket doesn’t work so I was turning the pages on this book trying to soak up as much as I could as quickly as possible.  I even set up reminders to re-read it where I dogeared pages and highlighted paragraphs.

The last book I want to recommend is, “How to Raise Kind Kids,” by Thomas Lickona. It is a book I initially checked out at the library but found myself wanting to highlight the whole stinking book so I just recently decided to buy it.  It is filled with great tips like writing a family mission statement, how to get your kids to stop complaining (and yes, I’ve tried his techniques and they’ve worked!) and dinner conversation starters so that you don’t always get the same old “It was fine” when you ask your child how their day was at school.

So if you’re a bookworm like me, I hope one of these three books will help in your motherhood adventures.  And if you like what you just read, then please make sure to share this post.  I’d also love to hear about your favorite books in the comments below.