Book Review By: Courtney
I
decided to read the book Single Parenting
that works: Six keys to raising happy, healthy children in a Single-Parent Home
by Dr. Kevin Leman. I felt this book was filled with practical advice and also had great
wisdom. The book starts off by bringing in different experiences that the
reader may have experienced. Within the first few pages Dr. Kevin Leman gives
research and facts that are based on single parent families. It is hard to find
a book that has facts that has reliable research to back it up. In his list of
facts he not only provides information for one type of single parents but for a
very large variety including divorced parents, never-married parent, separated
parents, widowed parents and a few other parents. Within the book he states,
“Clearly, you are not alone! Numerous single parents have walked this same road
in the past, and many others are walking it with you right now” (Leman, 2006,
p. 40). By stating this, he let his
readers know that they are not alone in trying to succeed through single
parenting. The one thing that I found very interesting in this book was how he
did not put down parenting in general but supported the fact that it is not
always as simple as we think.
Dr. Kevin Leman’s six keys
to raising happy, healthy children in a Single-Parent Home:
Key
1: Create a Plan
Key 2: Know yourself, know your child.
Key 3: Gather a
Team.
Key 4: Focus on the ABC’s.
Key 5: Know what to say and do when kids ask…
Key 6: Realize it’s not about you, it’s about the kids...
for now.
These
keys may not make complete since by just reading them but if you decide to read
this book (which I highly suggest) then you can learn what the author means by
each key concept. I found that this book was written very well and that you
could get very reliable information from it. You can find that through this
book he asks you questions and will have you think about yourself and your
experiences while reading this book. These questions at the end of each chapter
is what he calls “Key Qs” make you evaluate, think, problem solve and reflect.
This is more than a book it is sort of like a guide to help you begin your own
plan for single parenting. If you have any questions about the book just let me know in a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Leman, Kevin (2006). Single
Parenting that works: Six keys to raising happy, healthy children in a
Single-Parent Home.
Great post! I loved the simplicity and positive feel those steps had. When I think about single parenthood, and from what I gather from talking to others, I see that it's is a really hard depressing situation. It seems single parents just have to hang on to a thread (at least for a time)in trying to raise their kids. I love the idea that there ARE good things that happen in single parenting, and there ARE actually parents applying those steps. Come to think of it, I realize that my own parents applied some of those key points to me and my siblings growing up, and it really did make a post-divorce situation for me, and how they raised us more positive and effective.
ReplyDeleteI like the focus on kids - your time with them goes very quickly.
ReplyDeleteCheryl
I love the positivity of the message. Kids are resilient and usually turn out okay if parents (single or not) do all they can to provide a good environment for them. I'm going to recommend this book to my friend who is recently single and worried sick about her kids well-being. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteRebecca, Thank you for sharing! I am glad that my information will end up helping someone that could use a little help!
ReplyDelete