Parents are thrown into the work of parenting without much preparation, information, or support. Through trial and error, wading through mounds of misinformation, and led by our own best instincts and commitment to and love for our children, we struggle to parent and live in ways that bring us and our families joy.
Below you will find links to websites, book recommendations, and other resources that have provided us with deep inspiration and solid guidance as parents, teachers, and people. Explore, discover, read skeptically, and see what works for you!
"Non-Violent Communication, A Language of Compassion", Marshall Rosenberg www.cnvc.org.
"Parenting By Connection", Patty Wipfler www.parentleaders.org
"Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community", Alfie Kohn www.alfiekohn.org
"How Children Learn", John Holt www.holtgws.com
"Playful Parenting", Lawrence Cohen www.playfulparenting.com
"Tears and Tantrums, What To Do When Babies and Children Cry", Aletha Solter www.awareparenting.com
The Natural Child Project website has over 200 articles on everything from attachment parenting to child advocacy. Visit them at http://www.naturalchild.org/home/.
"When Edward Tronick and Katherine Weinberg studied the development of
trust
in relationships between mothers and babies, they found that trust grows
when babies and mothers establish that they can find each other again after
the inevitable moments of losing touch. It is not the goodness of the
mother or the relationship per se that is the basis for trust; it is the
ability of mother (or father or caretaker) and baby together to repair the
breaks in their relationship that builds a safe house for love."
- Carol Gilligan, The Birth of Pleasure p. 31