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Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids
by
Lisa M. Ross (Goodreads Author),
Kim John Payne
Today’s busier, faster society is waging an undeclared war on childhood. With too much stuff, too many choices, and too little time, children can become anxious, have trouble with friends and school, or even be diagnosed with behavioral problems. Now internationally renowned family consultant Kim John Payne helps parents reclaim for their children the space and freedom tha...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
August 25th 2009
by Ballantine Books
(first published 2009)
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I have mixed feelings about this one. I think overall it deserves the four star rating because it makes many very important points and has a lot of helpful ideas for parents who want to protect their kids' childhood. It is well-written and not at all dry or a difficult read. On the other hand, I'm not sure how to articulate this...I felt smothered by the authors, by the growing list of shalls and shalt nots, by the overwhelming number of things that I ought to be changing and not doing anymore a...more
OK, I would put this in one of my top parenting books. It can be applied to any age kids. It covers a lot of different areas of parenting.
I have followed a few of his suggestions and made changes in our family over the last few months. I have seen some positive results.
I love it so much I may start making it my gift to my doula clients! I wish I had read it when Thing 1 was a baby.
One of my other favorite parenting books is also Parenting Well in a Media Ag...more
I have followed a few of his suggestions and made changes in our family over the last few months. I have seen some positive results.
I love it so much I may start making it my gift to my doula clients! I wish I had read it when Thing 1 was a baby.
One of my other favorite parenting books is also Parenting Well in a Media Ag...more
I don't usually read parenting books because I think I'm doing ok. I mean, we've made it through these past 13 months with only one main argument, whether or not it is appropriate to lick things off the floor. Having read this book will hopefully keep that count low. The author voices parenting concepts that already feel comfortable to me and are grounded in the educational principles of Rudolph Steiner. The light bulbs were the explanation of the importance of finding rhythm in daily routines a...more
Admittedly I didn't read every word (or chapter) in this book. The basic premise being that kids are experiencing stress in small doses often enough that they behave similarly to kids that suffer from one big stress and have post-traumatic stress disorder. And so we simplify. I guess I was already sold on the "simplify" idea and mostly just read looking for a few ideas. We implemented the "half the toys, then half them again" to eliminate superfluous toys, while putting a few...more
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Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne is about simplifying the life surrounding your children - their environment, daily rhythms, schedules, and filtering out the adult oriented world (news, mature topics, etc). Payne is a Waldorf educator and parent counselor, and I can really see the "Waldorf way" shine through this entire book. I think it is an excellent book for a non-Waldorf parent to learn how to reduce the amount of toys, books, and activities surrounding your child(ren) - howe...more
This is a straightforward and enjoyably simple read. The author, Kim John Payne, is a member of the Waldorf movement, and his background is as a social worker, and counselor for children and families in Asia, the UK, and the US. His basic premise is that today's children are often subjected to a family life built on "the four pillars of too much: too much stuff, too many choices, too much information, and too much speed."
To clarify, "too much information" is speci...more
To clarify, "too much information" is speci...more
A simple concept: Simplify your child's life, and you will enrich it.
It's written in a conversational style, offers practical ideas and yet takes into account the hectic lives that we parents live today. When using an example of two career-oriented parents with crazy-busy schedules, for instance, Payne doesn't judge the parents for focusing on those careers, but merely offers some practical advice for working around them. (The parents really had trouble with one established morning routine...more
It's written in a conversational style, offers practical ideas and yet takes into account the hectic lives that we parents live today. When using an example of two career-oriented parents with crazy-busy schedules, for instance, Payne doesn't judge the parents for focusing on those careers, but merely offers some practical advice for working around them. (The parents really had trouble with one established morning routine...more
During a lazy snow day, Maile decided to take a marathon nap, and I curled up on the couch with "Simplicity Parenting" and read it cover to cover.
It touches on simplifying physical clutter, creating routines, keeping their environment one that is suitable for their age, free of concerns that should be those of adults and not children... letting kids develop in a natural manner instead of forcing activities and choices on them. I think it would be a good read for parents of...more
It touches on simplifying physical clutter, creating routines, keeping their environment one that is suitable for their age, free of concerns that should be those of adults and not children... letting kids develop in a natural manner instead of forcing activities and choices on them. I think it would be a good read for parents of...more
Meggan and I are reading this as a basis for a parenting class of the same name that we are in right now. Nik and Laura, I think that you guys would love this book and that it would be helpful and inspirational in intentionally shaping your lives. I think that all parents and even people without children would benefit from reading this book.
I loved this book! Many times I found myself moved nearly to tears by the description of ways a family could be together. Perhaps I liked it also because it affirms my intuitive beliefs about parenting. As a mom living in busy and competitive Manhattan, it was nice to be reminded of the value of less, slowness, and rhythm. I immediately put his advice into effect and good results. I understand that some readers found his style redundant, but that didn't bother me because it helped me to really a...more
I know I'm fast becoming a parenting book junkie, but this book was AWESOME! I loved it. So many things about the world of status quo parenting don't work or don't look right to me, on a gut level, but I don't always know why. I just know that I see lots of obedience training and entitlement training going on, and, simultaneously, tons and tons of kids diagnosed with ADHD, etc. This book does a beautiful job of explaining that all [most] kids really need is a simpler life -- less stuff, just ...more
I really loved this book, probably because so many parts of it simply validated my gut feelings about being a mother. I love the idea of having less stuff, scheduled commitments and stresses to allow kids to do their work of growing and developing in peace. I've also learned that I feel more peaceful and have more patience when there is less clutter (literal and figurative). This book gives some good ideas on how to simplify. I especially loved the chapter on toys. Even if you don't agree w...more
I have been burning through books about parenting and child development lately and most of them have been of little or no help. So little help that I don't even record them as read because they were just a waste of my time. But this book was a breath of fresh air. Now of course the authors opinions are very much in line with mine but he has the experience of a counseling career to support keeping things simple. Anecdotal examples and real tips and tricks that back up the way I always intende...more
Leila T.
is currently reading it
28 July 2011: I read a couple of pages of this, and although I think I'll come back to it, I put it down in favour of "What Mothers Do" because it is, or seems like, one of those intensely earnest parenting books. I am all for the elevation of the work of parenting, but to me some of these books seem to elevate it to the level of religion, and I find the tone of these tomes to be a combination of humourless and condescending and bordering on boring. It's just really not my style. I lik...more
"Simplification is not just about taking things away. It is about making room, creating space in your life."
The tone of this book is lovely. Warm and relaxed, it conveys not just thoughts about simplicity or suggestions for how to achieve it but also a felt rhythm of simplicity through the text. In a nutshell, you can summarize the book fairly easily: Have less stuff, stress, and noise, have more space, time, and connection. But I think the process of reading and digestin...more
The tone of this book is lovely. Warm and relaxed, it conveys not just thoughts about simplicity or suggestions for how to achieve it but also a felt rhythm of simplicity through the text. In a nutshell, you can summarize the book fairly easily: Have less stuff, stress, and noise, have more space, time, and connection. But I think the process of reading and digestin...more
The author, a former Waldorf teacher, manages to convey the best elements of Waldorf as it applies to family life without getting into anything I disagree with. I skimmed some chapters, but feel that it was reasonably concise nonetheless. It's a good piece of encouragement for anyone wanting to simplify their family life by decluttering, inserting breathing room into over-packed schedules, and creating low-key grounding points in the family's routine. I especially liked the way the author explai...more
Wow! This was definitely a life-changer for me. I highly recommend it for any modern parent, grandparent, caregiver, or adult family member. Although I didn't have to change much in some areas, others had gotten out of hand. I followed some of the guidelines to reduce a lot of the toy clutter, and immediately saw a positive change in the nature of my daughter's play, that was obviously therapeutic -- I could see her working through some of the areas we'd struggled in with her dolls, and we co...more
This was an insightful book for people who have never come across this idea. I personally am beyond this book and it's message. I was looking for a lot more meat and this book is more on the why to simplify. This also seems like a message being sold to small one or two child families who are financially well off. People who have six kids have already simplified their lives greatly out of necessity. I would probably recommend this to my friends who only have one or two kids and say they can't aff...more
This was such a refreshing read! Payne does a great job of making the case for simplifying our kids' lives in a variety of ways. He's also very careful to come off as a counselor rather than a preacher and suggests that parents regard his ideas as a sort of menu, from which they can choose the things they want to implement in their lives and their kids lives.
Payne is a certified Waldorf teacher, as well as a counselor for parents and kids, and he acknowledges up front that a number o...more
Payne is a certified Waldorf teacher, as well as a counselor for parents and kids, and he acknowledges up front that a number o...more
I agreed with a lot of what the author said in this book. It was a good reminder for me to keep things simple. I have been scaling back in a lot of areas in preparing for our fourth baby and so this was a great read for me. I really liked how he mentioned how to reduce clutter and toys in our households, establishing and keeping routines in our daily lives, and making time for breaks when things get to hectic and busy in our lives. He mentions getting rid of tv sets and computer usage for ki...more
I wish we could give half stars or rate books in more than one area. Everything is a grey area for me.
First, the bad:
**Most of the ideas were not new to me. This doesn't make it a bad book; it just means I wouldn't say I necessarily got a ton of new ideas from it. For someone new to the concept of simple living with children, I think it would be a really good book.
**His writing style didn't really click with me. I read a lot of how-to/parenting/etc.-type b...more
First, the bad:
**Most of the ideas were not new to me. This doesn't make it a bad book; it just means I wouldn't say I necessarily got a ton of new ideas from it. For someone new to the concept of simple living with children, I think it would be a really good book.
**His writing style didn't really click with me. I read a lot of how-to/parenting/etc.-type b...more
More than anything, I found this book loving and kind to parents. Writing from the place of honoring this difficult job, and offering meaty and useful suggestions (that you can do immediately) through discussion and the examples of others, these authors have done a tricky thing. They have managed to model what we all need most (and our kids too!): kindness, caring, and a positive way to help us be our own best selves. As a self-professed book-evangelist, this is one I wish crosses the paths of p...more
A bit dry reading and some parts of the book repetitive in how they structured it, but the message is wonderful. Took the culling advice to heart and got rid of alot of unnecessary books, toys, etc. and left what was used. We use something like only 20% of what we have - kids are o different. We've also tried to limit G's exposure to things - not to protect him, but to prevent him from overload. Goodness knows as adults we should practice some of the same ideals. Just because things happen in th...more
I'll probably be writing about this book a lot more on our blog so I'll just say that I'm so glad that I read it. I think it's going to be highly important to Nik and I as we try to shape how we want our family to be. The book helped us verbalize/crystallize a lot of our instincts/vaguely formed ideas for the feeling of our home and family. I'm sure it will take a long time for us to implement what is contained in the book but I'm really glad we can start now while Ellie is so young. Every pa...more
As I have frequently been faced with feeling overwhelmed and anxious about parenting 4 young children, this book was a kind of answer to prayer for me. While the writing was a little jumbled and repetitive at times, I really found his ideas insightful, realistic, calming, needed. Mark is going to read it this week, and hopefully he feels the same way. We'll see how the actual implementation goes, but right now I would highly recommend it to anyone who feels like their current parenting "sty...more
I loved this book for both the practical suggestions (backed by both formal research and informal observation) and for its tone.
Since I began reading this book, I've made some concrete changes in our home environment, including reducing the number of toys and books my children have easy access to (I put many into a "library" in our basement until I can work up the courage to donate/sell/throw away), reducing the number of scheduled activities I have for my children, and imp...more
Since I began reading this book, I've made some concrete changes in our home environment, including reducing the number of toys and books my children have easy access to (I put many into a "library" in our basement until I can work up the courage to donate/sell/throw away), reducing the number of scheduled activities I have for my children, and imp...more
Definitely one of the best parenting books I've ever read. It had some interesting insight on kids of different ages, so I hope I will remember to read it again when I'm a parent of an adolescent or teenager. We do many of the things in this book already (before reading it), but it was great to get some other ideas on how to make our lives even more simple and enjoyable (like the meal planning idea, which I LOVE). Surprisingly, the meal planning has worked great for us, and even resulted in eati...more
I was really excited to read this book as I'd heard some really good reviews of it and had it recommended to me. However, I was not that impressed. It approaches parenting from a "fix it" perspective rather than presenting proactive strategies. I agreed with everything Payne suggests, but as a new parent, I'm looking for advice more on how to build our homelife from the onset. In summary, a great book for people five or more years into parenting, looking for new strategies to build a p...more
In a world so obsessed with more and complexity this book encourages parents to simplify their children's lives and intern their own. What wonderful world it would be for all children to grow up in a home of simplicity and bring it out to the world when they are older. This book coincides with my own goal for my life, living with fewer things and less complexities. More time for the important things and more time and patience to wait for those things that take time. More importantly, time to...more
Kelly Salasin
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Recommends it for:
parents, teachers, young adults, counselors, therapists, grandparents
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I'm very excited about this book as our school is working with author/Kim John Payne to create an even healthier social climate. What I love about his approach with schools and families is that he is so extraordinarily well informed, funny and more than anything, deeply compassionate. I had to return the book to the library after just finishing the chapter on simplifying a child/family's environment which resonates well with my own writing as an educator/coach on the topic of STUFF: http://kellysalasin.wordpress.com/2009/0...
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A chapter by chapter discussion of Simplicity Parenting - CHAPTER FOUR | 1 | 13 | Mar 09, 2010 03:31am | |
| A chapter by chapter discussion of Simplicity Parenting - CHAPTER THREE | 1 | 9 | Mar 03, 2010 03:34am | |
| A chapter by chapter discussion of Simplicity Parenting - CHAPTER ONE | 10 | 26 | Mar 02, 2010 11:53am | |
| A chapter by chapter discussion of Simplicity Parenting - CHAPTER TWO | 5 | 6 | Feb 26, 2010 03:25am |
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“In its complexity and sensuality, nature invites exploration, direct contact, and experience. But it also inspires a sense of awe, a glimpse of what is still "un-Googleable" . . . life's mystery and magnitude.”
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