Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents Book

This book got some nice mentions on BoingBoing and I'll agree that it's a good read. Carter does a nice job of distilling a lot of science that's been done about the effect of various parenting techniques into ten lessons with tips and takeaways. A few thoughts:

* Steps one, two, and nine are broad approaches having to do with setting up a joyful environment. Some of these seem obvious to me (interview and carefully consider your child care providers?) while some are good reminders or new information. I like the first step--the suggestion that children should know their parents have lives beyond the children. She also reminds us to maintain and build adult networks that give us places to go and people to be with outside the childsphere.
* Steps three, four, and eight focus on how we act as parents. It's a reinforcement of other books I've read, including Kohn's Punished by Rewards. These chapters essentially remind us to treat children like their own people, to be kind and forgiving and authoritative without being authoritarian. Great reminders and advice. One new takeaway for me here: expressing gratitude regularly. We've started saying things we're thankful for as part of our evening dinner routine.
* Step five probably has the most take-aways for me from this book. Carter talks about "Raising their emotional intelligence" by talking about feelings as we navigate experiences. I've already used this when Avery's slipping into tantrum mode to defuse situations. Just asking her what she's feeling helps her step back from the tantrum cycle and into a more metacognitive space. She also suggests using meditation and teaching it to your kids as a way to handle tough emotions and get ready for new experiences.
* Step six urges "form happiness habits," and offers some positive ways to get kids to act in ways that will make them happy, while step seven reminds us that self-discipline will serve kids well later as they have to start navigating the challenging waters of the world beyond home.

Overall, it's a good read, with plenty of science-based advice and conversation. Carter brings her own experiences (including errors she's made in the past) into the mix, and offers some new advice. If you've read other books, you've probably encountered some of this stuff before, but even so, it's nice to read again.