Dear Little One: Thoughts to My Child in an Uncertain World Book

I picked up this book at a museum store mainly to laugh at it. I thought it would have lots of overly-strict punishments or weird tonics made of onions and mercury or something like that. It's actually full of the most gentle and kind parenting advice, and after skimming it briefly in the store, I bought it. It very calmly discusses only the psychological aspects of parenting: it stresses patience and gentleness (when you can't take a crying infant anymore, take a deep breath and make a short prayer), how to handle a temper tantrum (pick the child up so you are on the same level, look into their eyes while you gently wash their face and brush their hair), how to handle constant questions (Answer them when you can, and when you are busy with other things, say they must wait, but make sure to keep your promise and attend to the question later when you can. A child whose needs are met will wait patiently.) ' and so on. Overall, practical advice on gentle parenting from an era when having children was just part of life, with no focus on growing the perfect "superbaby". Many books now seem to focus on getting baby to a rigorous schedule or developmental milestones, but this is just a sweet book on helping your children grow into useful, kind adults. I really enjoyed this book and I re-read it often.