by Brianna

In pursuit of making great book club kits and generally improving ourselves, we read a LOT of books! We believe that you can get at least a little bit better at just about anything, as long as you keep learning about it and practicing proven techniques. We extend this philosophy to our journeys as parents, too. What if all parents took their parenting as seriously as their career or favorite hobby? To progress at work, people read books, take classes, and seek mentorships. We aren't too proud or self-assured to try these techniques to become better parents, as well.

While we're certainly not perfect, we're definitely seeing results from these efforts. One of our biggest lessons has been that we're constantly planting the seeds for future progress; real changes are rarely immediate, but they're lasting and buildable. That and, parenting is hard! Even when you're doing it right, your kid will still get mad at you. Saying "no" in the cereal aisle when your kid is two might result in a tantrum that makes you wish you'd just ordered everything online. But sticking to your "no" and enduring the tw0-year-old's rage will result in a much more subtle, but accepting, form of dissatisfaction to your "no" in the same scenario a year or two later.

All of this is to say, you've got this! And when you feel like you don't, we have books that can help. Read on for our list of our ten favorite parenting books (in no particular order). These are all of our go-to's when friends ask how we handle things. Use the links in the article to order your own copy from Amazon (we'll get a small referral payout if you do, at no additional cost to you). Bonus: we have a printable pamphlet of all ten titles that you can take with you to the bookstore or library!

By Brianna
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy anything using the links in this article, Busy Nest News will get a small portion of the sale at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

It’s been a while since Ariel and I came across a parenting book that we just had to read. When we heard the premise of Expecting Better, by Emily Oster, we knew it bore checking out. 

Summary:
Emily Oster is an economist (as is her husband). In a nutshell, what economists are pros at is analyzing information, evaluating the quality, and synthesizing it into reports to help people in key positions make decisions. In Expecting Better, Oster aims to use her economist skills to breakdown the data around the most common, thorny issues encountered in pregnancy, to help you decide what's best for your family.

Some of the topics tackled include the risks around foods (caffeine, alcohol, lunch meat, sushi), medicines (birth control, pain killers, antidepressants), and exercise. Oster also details risks of and protocols around genetic testing, common pregnancy conditions (such as pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes), bedrest, and the options available during birth. 

by Brianna

Join Brianna and Ariel as they review and discuss the parenting book, Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic.  When you use the affiliate links in this article, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks for your continued support.

For July’s parenting book, we read Raising Your Spirited Child, by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, Ed. D.. Through her study of spirited children Dr. Kurcinka has developed a program to help parents manage the challenges that come with raising a spirited child. In this book, she offers concrete tips for identifying and handling situations that are likely to be met with resistance by spirited children, whether it’s an unexpected change in schedule, less than sympathetic teachers, or working through overwhelming emotions.

by Brianna

Recently, Brianna and Ariel reviewed Raising Men by Eric Davis and Dina Santorelli. Being women and mothers of daughters, not sons, they wanted a little backup for this apparently testosterone-fueled book. Read on to find out what their Marine husbands made of a parenting book written by a former SEAL.

By Ariel

In which Ariel and Brianna discuss Raising Men: Lessons Navy SEALs Learned from Their Training and Taught to Their Sons by Eric Davis and Dina Santorelli. As parents can we learn something from the way the military shapes our men and women? Read on to find out. This post contains affiliate links. By using them you help keep Busy Nest News up and running. Thank you for your continued support.

by Brianna

A special book review for Mother's Day. Brianna and Ariel discuss a book just for moms. Not exactly a parenting book, so much as a book for parents. That will make them better parents. That has nothing to do with parenting. You'll see. This article has affiliate links in it. By using them to get the book, you're keeping Busy Nest News going. Thanks for your continued support!

For May, the month of Mother’s Day, we decided to read a special sort of parenting book. Run Like a Mother, by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea, is a book for moms. In it, McDowell and Shea have a conversation with each other and the reader about what it takes to be a mother/runner. They detail their own struggles and triumphs with staying active after having kids, and offer readers solid advice on everything from just finding the time to preventing and rehabbing injuries (whether said injuries were brought on by running trails or slipping on toys). They cover selecting the right footwear, embarrassing playlists, setting reasonable goals, and how to stay relatively safe and comfortable on a run.

By Brianna and Ariel

In which Brianna and Ariel discuss Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. What is grit and how do we  cultivate it in ourselves and in our children? Duckworth shows us how. This post contains affiliate links. By using them you help keep Busy Nest Nest up and running. Thank you for your continued support!

By Ariel

In which Ariel and Brianna discuss The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell - a book which outlines how to apply the five love languages philosophy to our relationships with children. This post contains affiliate links. By using them you help keep Busy Nest News up and running. Thank you for your continued support!

By Brianna

By Brianna

In which Brianna and Ariel discuss the pros and cons of the parenting book UnSelfie, which touts "9 Essential Habits that Provide the Empathy Advantage." Should you read this book? Could being kind really help your kid get ahead? Or is it so much touchy-feely fluff? Read on to find the answers. If you decide you'd like to purchase this book, the links in this article are affiliate links. Buying this book will result in a payout to us, which helps keep Busy Nest News going. Thanks!