This book calls for a new child-rearing paradigm that right-sizes kids and eases modern parents’ guilt.
Cited by the online magazine Shareable in 2014 as one of its top new books for spring, it was the inspiration for my Dear Family Whisperer advice column on Huffington Post where questions are always answered from a family perspective.
Family Whispering was initially conceived by Tracy (the “Baby Whisperer”) Hogg and I to be the fourth book in the Baby Whispering series. Tracy was ill at the time, so we knew I would finish the book without her. But our goal was to apply her common-sense philosophy to help mothers and fathers tackle a far more complex and challenging job than parenting young children: managing a family. Ten years in the making, this book is built on the premise that children should be members of the family, not its center. (You can read the Prologue, which details the book’s origins, here.)
Family Whispering is the ultimate guide to being a “We” family: focus on Us and, at the same time, protect each “I.” With a family-centered mind set, everyone matters. You will still be amazed by your kids– just not blinded by them. Everyone pulls his or her weight, not just the adults; and everyone gets attention, not just the children.
This book is filled with charts, boxes, checklists and practical strategies that will help you observe what happens between members as well as to them. Instead of seeing yourself acting on your child, you begin to grasp how each relationship influences the others. You will view common everyday challenges, like sibling rivalry and chore wars, with fresh eyes. And you will deal with them differently.