Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Review :: The Whole-Brain Child

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When I was pregnant I really loved reading books and watching movies/documentaries on pregnancy and birth. I guess it only makes sense that now that I'm a parent I love reading parenting books. I don't love reading all parenting books though, just the ones that talk about children's brain development and more gentle parenting methods that correspond with that brain development. 
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My favourite book so far has been The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. & Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. I am awful at describing books (I always make them sound crazy & weird) so you can check out a description here (or Google it). Anyways, this book is amazing and I will definitely be reading it again. I actually got pretty upset while I was reading because it hit home so many times about things that I recognized from my own childhood. I'm not saying I had a terrible childhood, because I didn't, but I definitely dealt with some issues that I didn't understand and this book helped me realize what was probably going on. 

I feel like The Whole-Brain Child doesn't even just apply to people who are dealing with children. Since reading it I have become more sensitive and patient about the strange things that people sometimes do. I honestly think that everyone should read it if you are at all interested in how the brain works and handles emotions. 

I really can't say enough good things about The Whole-Brain Child. This is in no way a sponsored review, I bought the book with my own dollar bills, I just really loved it and I think that everyone in the world should read it. Yep, everyone, in the whole entire world.

Have you read The Whole-Brain Child? What did you think? Any other recommendations for similar books?

♥elycia

21 comments:

  1. Thanks for the recommendation. I just bought it as an Audible audio book so I can check it out. (Myles keeps me so busy these days that it is hard to sit down and read, but I find audio books work pretty well because I can listen while I drive or work - plus My gets to hear more spoken words to help with his speech development!) I'm with you on preferring gentle-parenting types of books. "Baby training" type books make me really uncomfortable and "cringy" (is that a word? haha). To each their own though, I guess! :)

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    1. Hi Amanda! What a great idea. I have never tried an audio book, those are definitely some good reasons to check one out.

      Yes, no judgement to people who find those books helpful because everyone is different and different things work for different people, but they make me uncomfortable and cringy too. Cringy is totally a word, or at least it should be.

      I am going to pop by your blog right now and see how you and your little Myles is doing!!

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  2. HI Elycia,

    I'm one of the co-author's of The Whole-Brain Child and I wanted to tell you that the adorable picture of my book and those cute baby legs is one of my favorite. Thanks so the nice blog post and I'm thrilled you've found the book helpful. You are right that it reaches beyond just kids. When I give lectures on the book I say that all the strategies in the book work on our significant others and ourselves and anyone we're in relationship with. I've got a lot of articles on my website on parenting and I often post ideas about gentle parenting on my professional Facebook page (you can find the link on my website.) One more thing . . . Dan Siegel and I have another book coming out in September called No-Drama Discipline that is very compatible with this book and focuses on how soothing our children is a very important part of discipline/teaching. http://www.amazon.com/No-Drama-Discipline-Whole-Brain-Nurture-Developing/dp/0345548043
    Enjoy the parenting journey!
    Tina Bryson
    www.TinaBryson.com

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    1. Hi Tina! Thank you so much for your comment! Yep, a lot of things I read in the book made me say, "THAT is how I would like someone to react to ME in that situation!"

      I will definitely check out your website and faceboo page, thank you! I will absolutely check that book out too! You guys have such a great writing style and so much good information.

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  3. Just checked and my library has it, so I'll probably request it. Sounds like it'll be helpful for children of all ages, not just babies. Never too late to be a better parent :)

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    1. Megan, I would say it is actually mostly for older children as opposed to babies! Definitely children of all ages!

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  4. I'm going to read this, and I don't even have kids. I just find psychological development interesting, so thank you!

    Have you heard of Hold On to Your Kids by Gordon Neufeld? He's an Attachment Theory based therapist (that's probably not the correct way to put it xD). The book is basically about the importance of fostering a healthy parental attachment in your children as they begin interacting more with their peers, and ways you might be able to do so. Parts of it made a lot of sense. I think you might like it. :)

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    1. Definitely, Kait! I have always found it really interesting too. Having a baby just finally gave me the push to look into it more.

      I haven't heard of that book but I am going to write it down and look it up. It sounds like a book I would enjoy, thank you!!

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  5. I love the second pic so much ♥ one day, if I ever get pregnant, I will need a library at home. Wont forget about this book!

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    1. Thank you Marta! I snapped it while Milo was snoozing...that's why his legs aren't just a total blur, ha! It really is a great book to keep in mind.

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  6. Thank-you for the recommendation. I only have a three week old boy at the moment but my partner and I are reading up as much as we can on ways we can be more understanding and patient with him, especially for when he's older. Something very important I try to remember is, 'My child isn't giving me a hard time, my child is having a hard time.'
    It's already helping, honestly.

    I intend on getting this book asap!
    x

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    1. Josie, yes! That is a great saying to remember, and so true! I just read your birth story and it sounded intense!! Edgar is adorable and that is such a sweet name. Congratulations and enjoy your little guy!!!

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  7. Thanks for the rec! I am currently having some intense power struggles with my 8 year old right now. Considering she had a stroke and literally doesn't use her whole brain, I'm interested in seeing how the book works out for us. I just need to figure out a way to buy it since Amazon.com says it isn't available for me to buy in the Middle East.

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    1. I hope you can find it somewhere! What you're going through with your 8 year old sounds intense, I hope she's doing well after her stroke. That must have been a difficult experience. The book talks a lot about how different parts of the brain interact with each other so if you know which parts of her brain aren't functioning it could be really helpful I think. I'm wishing you all the best!!

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    2. I should have mentioned...if you can't find it anywhere, email me and I can see about mailing you a copy! loveelycia[at]gmail[dot]com.

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  8. I recommend Simplicity Parenting (local library has it) and You Are Your Child's First Teacher. Simplicity Parenting is my favourite book for parenting and analyzing children's environments etc...

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  9. This sounds like a very interesting read! I don't have children, but I find the development of the human brain fascinating, and I always love learning more about how our interactions as children shape who we become.

    I'd recommend a similar book called "Nurture Shock" by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman. It has some fascinating facts about child psychology, and each topic they cover goes into the studies that were designed to explore the various concepts. It's a great book to understand good ways of working with children as well as being a fun book of science writing.

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    1. Yes! It is so crazy to think that a time in our life that we can't actually remember shapes so much of who we are.

      That book sounds great! I will check it out for sure. Thank you Cait!

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    2. I mean Cate. I had a friend named Cait and that's my default way to spell it. Ooops!

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    3. Ha ha! No worries! I hope you enjoy the book. And be sure to share any other interesting reads you find on the topic. It looks like you have plenty of readers with similar literary tastes. :)

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