Optimistic Parenting: Hope and Help for You and Your Challenging Child

by V. Mark Durand

Happier lives. Less stress. Family harmony. That's what all parents of children with challenging behavior want. Learn how to get there with this groundbreaking guide to confident, skillful, and positive parenting. A book you'll want to share with every family you know, Optimistic Parenting helps moms, dads, and other caregivers develop more positive thoughts and perceptions—a key ingredient of successful parenting and effective behavior management. One of the most highly regarded experts on challenging behavior—and a parent himself—Dr. V. Mark Durand delivers both philosophical hope and practical help to parents of children with a wide range of challenges. With keen insight, gentle humor, and practical tools and strategies, Durand guides parents step by step through the process of Engaging stories from the author's extensive experience illustrate how parents and other caregivers can develop more effective behavior management techniques. And practical tools and exercises, developed and tested during Durand's decades of work with thousands of parents, help families on their own journey to better parenting and happier lives. A lifeline for overwhelmed parents—and a great source of insight for the professionals who work with them—this highly motivating guidebook will help families reduce children's challenging behaviors and approach the future with optimism and confidence.

Genres: Parenting

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2011

Reviews

[Jenn]

This books was not what I expected. But had a very good section using CBT strategies to analyze how your thoughts about yourself/others/your child in the moment of challenge leads to feelings and actions and great ideas for distracting yourself in the moment and disputing negative thoughts/substituting more optimistic thoughts. Nothing new here for me as a psychologist but good reminders to apply what I know. Most of the book is focused on ABC analysis and using function to shape behaviors and is written in a parent friendly format. I would be likely to recommend this book to parents of my students with autism, as the book seems really geared towards that population in particular (though the strategies are great for any challenging behaviors regardless of diagnoses).

[Elizabeth Nugent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very worthwhile. It feels a little like two books loosely glued together, a first on mindful parenting and a second on behavior management. But it does work as a book, and it did give me some new ways of thinking about my parenting.