Parenting listens and
reads we love
As a parent today, you’re trying to instill core values to raise your kids to be confident, kind, respectful and self-assured. But you’re also contending with a digital world that’s native to them, influential and distracting. There’s a lot to consider, understand and balance, so trusted expertise, opinions, experiences and support go a long way. We’ve compiled a list of resources we love and use in our own parenting and in our roles at camp.
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Articles
Smartphones & Technology for Kids:
Jonathan Haidt wrote a great book called The Anxious Generation (see books section). This article digs into some of his key perspectives on smartphones and technology for kids.
Physical Activity for Children and Youth in Canada:
Every year Participaction puts out their Annual Report on the Status of Physical Activity for Children and Youth in Canada. It’s a great guide on fun, healthy and supportive ways to promote and enhance the physical activity and health of kids.
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Podcasts
Dare To Lead with Brene Brown:
Brene Brown is amazing. She is a researcher and incredibly engaging. Her two-part interview with Mike Erwin on ‘Leadership is a Relationship’ is a favourite. They have a candid conversation about the seven functions of relationship-building and the importance of prioritizing our relationships as people and as leaders.
Mike Erwin on Leadership Is a Relationship, Part 1 of 2
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BOOKS
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt:
Jonathan Haidt has done fascinating and alarming research about the impacts of social media, smartphones and digital distraction on kids’ mental health. We fully agree and want to do everything possible to keep camp a device-free zone.
What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew by Dr. Sharon Saline:
Dr. Saline shares the ADHD experience from the child’s perspective, so parents/adults can best understand how to empower kids living with ADHD for success in school and life.
Smart But Scattered: The Revolutionary Executive Skills Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare:
Getting organized, staying focused and controlling impulses and emotions are vital life skills – but they are also a struggle for a lot of kids. This book offers research-based tips and tools to help support kids in developing or enhancing these executive functioning skills.
Kids Are Worth It: Raising Resilient, Responsible, Compassionate Kids by Barbara Coloroso:
Tried and true! A parenting classic focused on the importance of treating kids with dignity and respect by using real-life family situations as examples.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So kids Will Talk by Adele Farber and Elaine Mazlish:
Listening is everything. It’s no surprise then that this book is a national bestseller. Chock full of practical tools and examples, this is a great guide on how to become a better listener, as well as build strong relationships and mutual trust.
The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough by Thomas Curran:
This book is as much about helping kids as it is about helping us as parents who struggle with the pressure of being perfect.
It focuses on ways we can resist the pressure to find more joy and contentment in our lives.The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu:
Another favourite with great lessons for both parents and kids. How often do we actually “stop to smell the roses?” This book highlights the importance of gratitude, compassion and humility as some of the keys to joyful living.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle:
Published more than two decades ago, this book and its message stand the test of time. We all struggle with being present, yet it’s so important to do so. The question-and-answer format make the content accessible and easy to digest.
