The Working Parent's Survival Guide: How to Parent Smarter Not Harder

by Anita Cleare

Offers strategies and guidance to building a happier family life by doing less not more, and parenting smarter not harder. Most modern parents work. And we have limited time, limited energy, limited patience, and too much to do. We are seldom at our best at the end of a long working day when the parenting shift kicks in. We want to do the right thing but, in the thick of it, with no time to think and no energy to spare, it’s easy to miss the small changes that could make a big difference to our child’s (and our own) wellbeing. This book moves the goalposts by suggesting ways to parent smarter not harder and to really tune in to the needs of our children and our families. Focusing on the quality of time and not the quantity, parents can learn to cultivate better family wellbeing and happiness. The Working Parent’s Survival How to Parent Smarter Not Harder is essential reading for every working parent. Written by an expert in child development and parenting who has worked with thousands of stressed out working parents, it walks you through an approach to parenting that will transform family life - and which can be fitted into modern working patterns. Covering all the sticky challenges of a working parent’s day (such as getting everyone out of the house on time in the morning, managing difficult behavior when you’re tired at the end of the day, and controlling tech time), The Working Parent’s Survival Guide will help you to stop feeling guilty about being at work and give you the tools to create the harmonious family life you want to come home to.

Genres: Parenting

178 pages, Hardcover

Published July 26, 2021

About the author

Anita Cleare (MA, AdvDip) is a parenting speaker, writer and coach who supports working parents to balance successful careers with being a parent. She writes the award-nominated 'Thinking Parenting' blog (www.anitacleare.co.uk) and delivers expert parenting seminars, webinars and one-to-one support.

Anita has studied developmental psychology (child development) to postgraduate level and is an accredited Triple P® parenting coach. A leading UK parenting expert, she speaks at events internationally and is regularly featured as a parenting expert on TV and radio. She is Director of the Positive Parenting Project.

Anita has a talent for helping busy parents understand what makes their children tick and implement small changes that make a huge difference.

You can read Anita's blog at www.anitacleare.co.uk or follow her on Instagram (@anitacleare_parenting) or X (@thinking_parent) and via the Positive Parenting Project on Facebook.

Reviews

[Ioan-Calin Biris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una dintre cele mai utile și practice cărți de parenting pe care le-am citit până acum. Mi-am notat 28 de paragrafe despre acțiuni concrete care mă pot ajuta zi de zi ca părinte.
Temele dezbătute în carte sunt despre diferența de gândire „muncă - acasă”, gestionarea emoțiilor / temelor / timpului cu tehnologia / certurile între frați / obstacolelor în dezvoltare etc.
Mi-a plăcut că este o carte “down to earth” care oferă o perspectivă realistă asupra rolului de părinte și impactul pe care îl are în viața copilului.
O recomand tuturor părinților care lucrează și încearcă să crească copii responsabili, independenți, apropiați de părinți.

[Liz McMath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new or groundbreaking for me, but it’s useful to have reminders of how to make things run more smoothly. Listening to this audiobook made me grateful that I can continue to WFH and not have to deal with a commute, but also reminded me of the importance of making the mental shift at the end of the work day and the start of family time in the evening

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems like many 3-4 stars based on this not being new information. I haven’t read a lot of parenting books so this was helpful. I liked that there were chapter takeaways and action items (contrast to a previous book I read that was mostly psychoanalysis and no action items). Will have to come back and reread this for siblings and homework/tech.

[Amy K · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title may draw or deter someone from reading this.. This book is good for any parent, not just those that work outside the home. A lot of good reminders to hold myself accountable for. Having read several parenting books over the past 9 years, this was a good check in, but nothing new.

[Jenny Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally really like this book, will purchase a physical book. This is a good book when you feel helpless about how to face/take care of your kids. Overall, love yourself before love your kids. Allow yourself to be imperfect.

[Drew]

Some good tips but pretty boring

[Courtney Jones Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth skimming for a few good ideas. Wouldn’t recommend reading all the way through.

[Sarah Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most parents these days work full time. This book markets itself to offer strategies and guidance to building a happier family life by doing less not more, and parenting smarter not harder.

This has a lot of the same strategies as other parenting books I have read. There was nothing really new or revolutionary here. That being said it as solid premisses and strategies. However, if you have read more than 3 other parenting books the information will be repetitive and falls flat.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*