Raising Amazing Children (...While Having a Life of Your Own) [Kindle Edition]

Deborah Drezon Carroll (Author)

Book Description

This practical and easy-to-read book shows parents how they can raise happy, responsible, respectful, and yes, AMAZING kids by simply living their lives and inviting their children to join them in the everyday situations of life.

You probably think that parenting is challenging. Good news – you’re not crazy, you’re right. It is challenging. But, it can be wonderful and rewarding too. The key is in not giving up everything you loved and enjoyed just because you decided to have children. You can maintain the integrity of your life and raise terrific kids.

You are doing things every day that you can use to teach your children some valuable life skills. Simple things like cleaning, cooking, home repair, grocery shopping, and planning trips (yes, you can even travel with your kids!) lend themselves to fulfilling parent/child interactions. You’ll get a bit of help with the things you have to do and you’ll be teaching your child the skills he or she will need to someday leave your nest and live independently. Plus, along the way, you and your child will get to know each other better as you build a life of love based on good communication and shared times.

You’re busy. You might be overwhelmed with all of the things you think you must do in order to be a good parent. You’re probably too busy to read this book. That’s why you need to. You’ll get some advice and tips that will show you how you can save time while you’re raising terrific kids and, as a bonus, you’ll have more time to do some of the fun things you enjoy.

Here’s the first paragraph:

Being a great parent is easier and more fun than you think. If you are a new parent, you may be worried (or perhaps even scared to death!) because you have no training in this arena. But, in fact, you do. You already possess the skills you will need to raise amazing kids. You made it through your life up to this point, so you have life experience. That will take you far when it comes to dealing with your kids. You will draw on that -- on every experience that brought you to where you are now – to raise children who are happy, healthy, responsible, morally sound, and, yes – amazing. And, you’ll be able to do it while maintaining the integrity of your own life.

Along the way, interspersed with the advice, you’ll read inspiring and funny stories that will prove to you that even YOU can do this parenting thing and maybe even have some of your own funny stories to tell.

Life is hard. Parenting is hard. But when you learn how to weave them together, they both get just a little bit easier.

Product Details

• File Size: 256 KB
• Print Length: 144 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0077F8ZTE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,609 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Warmth and Wisdom February 13, 2012

By A Parent

Format:Kindle Edition

When my kids were small, I would always tell people that my view on fatherhood was that it was the hardest job I'd ever love. Debby Carroll's book makes that job easier. It has everything you'd want from a book about parenting -- warmth, wisdom, encouragement, and, most importantly to my mind, a sense of forgiveness. No one is ever going to be a perfect parent, nor ever not make a mistake while being a father or mother. But that's not the goal, nor even realistic. The idea is to be yourself, to take seriously your role as a parent, to love you children, and have as much respect for them as you would like them to have for themselves and for you.

This book has practical examples to raise your kids to be responsible people, at the same time as you get the most out of being a parent and actually love doing it. Reading its pages you get the sense that parenting is no different from anything else you do in life. So much of it is instinctual, just having good common sense while always wanting the best for your kids.

This book is a must read for any parent of any child of whatever age, because, at bottom, parenting goes on, not only the part of continually trying to be an example for your kids, but also the unexpected fact that you learn so much more from them than you ever thought possible. They are our teachers as well as our pupils. "Raising Amazing Children" will help you to feel comfortable and capable in the most important role of your life. I highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enlightening, Authentic book - A Must Read for Every Parent February 14, 2012

By Diane

Format:Kindle Edition

There are so many things I love about this book, RAISING AMAZING CHILDREN (... WHILE HAVING A LIFE OF YOUR OWN) and it's philosophy. To name a few, the concept and practice of giving parents permission to continue living the life they have enjoyed before the kids came along, and invite their children to participate in that life is brilliant, yet so often overlooked. As a psychotherapist I see so many parents giving up their lives in order to accommodate their kids, which only creates resentment and puts a damper on any romantic promise between couples. You can tell the author, Deborah Drezon Carroll, a mother of three daughters, has great respect for children, and that she rightly encourages and gives practical advice on how to be real with them. She knows that kids pick up on everything no matter what age, so why pretend.

I also appreciate the fact that she encourages children and adolescents to master useful skills in life, and as they learn to master these skills they will feel better about themselves. The author holds a mirror to so many parents who feel they are being righteous when acting as a martyr to their children - for instance, by picking up after them and not expecting them to participate they are actually being short-changed as human beings, who inherently want to take responsibility and feel useful in their lives. Instead she encourages parents to show their kids how to be responsible for their own actions, and how to take steps along the way toward independence and self-esteem.

I agree that if your aim is to have your children adjust to your schedule and your life as much as possible, instead of changing your whole life to accommodate the children, then you will be a happier person, couple and family. The author's personal family, and all the great stories she shares, shows us that we needn't give up all we love to do; we just have to find a way to do the things we really enjoy - together with the kids.

I also thought the way the author talked about not protecting your kids from the realities in life was enlightening, and touching, especially when she wrote about how she brought her father into their home at the end of his life and how her three daughters grew from the experience, and gave their grandfather a great gift, as well.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone who wants to feel closer to his or her family members, and be more fulfilled and authentic in their lives.

More About the Author

Deborah Carroll is a former teacher, educational consultant, wellness coach, and the mother of three "amazing" children. She grew up in New York and Philadelphia where she taught in the public schools for ten years before becoming the Manager of the Education Department of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. She has conducted hundreds of workshops and has appeared on Good Morning America with her first parenting book. That appearance, while lots of fun was also one of her most embarrassing moments so if you meet Debby, be sure to ask her to tell you about it.