Permission to Parent - by Robin Berman MD (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

After being bombarded by parenting fad after parenting fad, moms and dads finally have a friendly, commonsense guide to raising thriving children.

Today, many parents have rejected the dictatorships they resented from their own childhoods. But they overcorrected by turning into child-pleasers. Showering praise and letting kids rule the roost has actually eroded the very self-esteem parents are trying to create.

Using her clinical experience, psychiatrist Robin Berman shows parents how they can take charge while building a loving family with deep connections. How children learn love and respect at home becomes the template for how they show love and respect in life. It's a huge task, but Dr. Berman is your ally every step of the way.

Every parent's struggles are reflected (many of them comically), but so are heartwarming triumphs. Parents, teachers and children themselves recount turning points at which they figured out what great parenting looked like and the magic it unlocked.

This engaging book--a perfect mix of medical research and inspirational anecdotes--just might be the key to being the parent you want to be and the parent your children need.

From the Back Cover

Children used to be seen and not heard. Now they are the center of their parents' universe. We need to find a graceful middle way.

Parents today seem skittish about asserting their parental authority. They indulge children's demands, tantrums, and endless negotiations for fear of hurting their children's feelings. Sadly, this is creating a generation of psychologically fragile kids, and parents are undermining the very self-esteem they are trying so earnestly to build. "Tiger mom," "helicopter parent," "the cool dad"--between these extremes lies a better way to raise thriving, well-adjusted children.

Review Quotes

"Robin Berman's inspiring book is a must-read for all parents. It shows how to nurture with love and respect in order to raise strong, happy, and successful children." - Dr. Harvey Karp, author, The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep: Birth to Five

"All parents will find themselves in the pages of Dr. Berman's smart and accessible book." - Catherine Birndorf, MD, author of "The Nine Rooms of Happiness", and mental health columnist for Self Magazine

"I have remarked many times that there is no parenting manual that comes with your child when they are born, but I believe Robin Berman, MD has written the first one that should be present in every delivery room. Hallelujah!" - Reese Witherspoon, Academy Award winning Actress

"Permission to Parent is rich with wisdom, filled with laughter and heartwarming moments that any parent can recognize. Dr. Berman has written the how-to for being the parent we all wish to be." - Marianne Williamson, New York Times Best Selling Author and Internationally Acclaimed Spiritual Lecturer

"It may be hard to say 'no' to your child... unless you also read a great new book called Permission to Parent by psychiatrist Robin Berman. It will help you bring parenting back to the center, where it belongs." - Washington Post