How to Raise a Child in Today's Society

I think any parent of a young child can attest to the fact that kids do NOT come with instruction books. And honestly, that is just too darn bad because kids are not just feeding. burping, bodily functions, cooing and crying. There is much more to a child than any new parent ever realized and quite frankly with each child comes new experiences and opportunities/challenges that very well can leave the parent scratching his/her head wishing for that ever elusive "instruction book" for life's trials and tribulations.

Well, I found such a book recently called Just Tell me what to say by Betsy Brown Braun and believe me when I say I wish this book had been around when my boys were younger!

A smallish book, just the right size for bedtime reading, diaper bag stow away or even coffee table placement, promises and delivers some good old fashioned common sense advice and ideas on how to raise, answer and basically survive the years as a parent of a 2-6 year old child.

Now to be totally honest, though this book is toted as being written for the younger child, I found much of the advice could easily be adapted to fit older children as well. I found sections such as dealing with death to be ones that can easily be adapted for my younger son, and I think all parents can agree that death has to be the hardest thing ever to explain to a child. Braun is a versatile writer who seems to invite the reader to apply her knowledge and personalize it. A plus in my opinion for any writer attacking the complex subject of parenting today.

Beginning with the chapter "small talk is big talk" aka communicating with your children the reader is instantly attracted to the author's simple speak and easy to understand as well as to apply to life reflections and advice. I found this above all the chapters within this book, (though each is beneficial and stands alone as important in their own right) to be the basis for the foundation of raising a child. As we all well know, without a decent communication base in any part of life, which we all face on a constant basis within our lives, the outcome will be less than stellar. Applying the basic information that this chapter imparts will not only better explain but offer easy to understand advice that parents from all walks of life can apply to their children as they strive for a better and sounder communication base within their lives.

Covering bases such as verbal, nonverbal, listening and modeling as forms of communication the author spells communication out and breaks the subject down into easily digestible sections that parents and those who read this book can apply and see evolving within their lives despite any differences in upbringing, background or social economic status. The information and advice found with in is sound, basic and as I have mentioned, easy to apply for anyone who reads this book

And so on goes this book. With ten other chapters covering subjects such as discipline, siblings, eating, manners & social graces, parenting dilemmas, the birds & the bees, serious illness, death, divorce and even natural disasters, terrorism and war, this book pretty much covers all the bases when it comes to the hard issues revolving around raising a child in this complex world of ours.

Recently released to the public on February 19, 2008, Just tell me what to say is a book that would make a fantastic addition to any family library, social counseling situation and especially those facing parenting for the first time this book is an excellent foundation for the most difficult job any of us will ever face, that of being a parent in the world today. With children being brought into a world which in more and more complex as time goes on, the parent will quickly find this to be an indispensable book when it comes to covering hard topics children will face as they grow older.

Forget the cute sleeper and the teddy bear for that new baby gift, this book is one whose advice will never age, be outgrown, or fall apart in tatters. It promises to be a gift that will keep on giving despite the changes within our lives and that of our child. And in this day and age of everchanging challenges, to me, that makes this book well worth the price!