"Brilliant, wise, informative, innovative, entertaining, and urgently needed . . . a godsend for all who love children, and for children themselves."--Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness
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. Internationally renowned family consultant Kim John Payne helps parents reclaim for their children the space and freedom that all kids need for their attention to deepen and their individuality to flourish. Accessible and thoughtful, Simplicity Parenting offers inspiration, ideas, and a blueprint for change:
- Streamline your home environment. Reduce the amount of toys, books, and clutter--as well as the lights, sounds, and general sensory overload.
- Establish rhythms and rituals. Discover ways to ease daily tensions, create battle-free mealtimes and bedtimes, and tell if your child is overwhelmed.
- Schedule a break in the schedule. Establish intervals of calm and connection in your child's daily torrent of constant doing.
- Scale back on media and parental involvement. Manage your children's "screen time" to limit the endless deluge of information and stimulation.
- Cultivate a values-centric family culture instead of a child-centric culture. Model your authority, not your authoritarianism.
A manifesto for protecting the grace of childhood, Simplicity Parenting is an eloquent guide to bringing new rhythms to bear on the lifelong art of raising children.
Lisa M. Ross has been involved with books for more than twenty years, as an editor and literary agent, and now exclusively as a writer. She lives with her husband and two children in Stuyvesant, New York.
I ghostwrite Educational Email Courses for nervous system regulating products | Certified meditation teacher | Founder of wellness brand celebrating $1M+ sales
Currently learning/working on: @stephsmithio's Doing Time Right course. Learning to code Solidity following @nateliason's guide (starting from absolute scratch with this one.) Reading about parenting (currently: Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne)
"A wealth of practical ideas for reclaiming childhood and establishing family harmony."--Publishers Weekly
"Brilliant."--Grand Rapids Press
"[Payne is] like a master closet reorganizer for the soul."--Time
"This book is a wake-call for all of us who have misjudged what children need and can handle, and who have wandered so far from the best practices that we are raising neurologically damaged and emotionally stunted human beings as a result. Simplicity Parenting arises from dialogues with real people, from their questions and their needs. Kim John Payne is sharp, funny, and wise, and--best of all--he has something shattering but positive to say to an America that is struggling to know how to live."--Steve Biddulph, author of The Secret of Happy Children
"If you are raising children in these anxious times, you need this book. It will inspire you, reassure you, and, most important of all, it will remind you that less is more, that simplicity trumps complication, that rhythm and routine bring peace to the soul. In this profound and practical guide, Kim John Payne offers parents a doable, step-by-step approach to simplifying everyday family life, from the toy box to the dinner table. In the process, he reveals to us the rewards to be found in slowing down, savoring our children's childhoods, and more fully enjoying our own adult lives."--Katrina Kenison, author of The Gift of an Ordinary Day
"Simplicity Parenting takes the unusual and unusually wise stance that sometimes less can be more. Less as in less frenetic activity, less racing around, less clutter. Payne provides practical strategies for turning down the volume and creating a pace that fosters calmness, mindfulness, reflection, and individuality in children. Simplicity Parenting should be on every parent's (indeed, every person's) reading list."--Kathleen A. Brehony, Ph.D., author of Awakening at Midlife
"Kim John Payne helps parents better understand one of the most challenging issues of our time-the hurried, materialistic, competitive, highly pressured nature of today' s childhood. After reading Simplicity Parenting, parents' new mantra will be 'less builds security, sanity, and connection.' And they will have the tools they need for implementing this mantra in their families."--Diane E. Levin, Ph.D., co-author of So Sexy So Soon