I am thrilled to announce that Brown Paper Press will be releasing its fifth title — a parenting book — this spring.
ParentShift: Ten Universal Truths That Will Change the Way You Raise your Kids will launch on May 7, 2019, and is now available for pre-sale. If you’re interested in reserving a copy, you can hit up Amazon or, better yet, head on over to our shop, where, with every order, you’ll receive an AUTOGRAPHED copy of ParentShift, FREE SHIPPING (within the US) and a guarantee that you’ll receive the book BEFORE THE OFFICIAL RELEASE.
I know I always say this when we launch a new title, but I am insanely proud of this book, and only partly because I co-wrote the damn thing. I’m convinced that Ty and Linda Hatfield are among the world’s most talented child whisperers, and it’s been one of the great privileges of my life to help deliver their message to all of you. I think this might just be a game-changer.
Here’s the official summary:
One hundred years of research and science has given rise to a verifiable truth: Many popular child-rearing methods — long viewed as harmless alternatives to spanking — drive deep divisions in parent-child relationships and damage children’s self-esteem.
These methods include punishments (such as threats, timeouts, grounding, revoking privileges and docking allowances), as well as rewards (such as trinkets, star charts and bribery.)
And, yet, for many parents, these methods seem to be the only thing keeping their households from dissolving into chaos. Take away their most useful parenting tools, and how will their homes to function properly? How will they enforce limits, end conflict and maintain authority?
The answers to all these questions — and so many others — reside in ParentShift.
Written by parenting educators Linda and Ty Hatfield and award-winning journalist and author Wendy Thomas Russell, this timely, compassionate guide distills a century's worth of research, science and wisdom into an engaging, practical handbook for modern parents.
Built around ten universal truths that explain why all children behave the way they do (often at the most inopportune times!), ParentShift argues that only one child-rearing model — a model the authors call heart-centered — gives children what they need while honoring their ages, stages, and temperaments.
As innovative as it is inspiring, ParentShift mines the work and advice of the world’s leading experts to bring you complete toolkits designed to solve virtually any problem — from toddler to teen — while strengthening the parent-child relationship and preserving each child’s sense of self-worth.
As usual, I am wandering into controversial territory here. (What is it with me anyway?) For evidence of the latest impending shit storm, check out a few of the 6,600 comments made on the video below, which features my view on timeouts. The video, co-produced by Facebook and the PBS NewsHour is called “Let Me Explain: Timeouts” found itself in the limelight last month. I have no idea what started it, but the video now has been viewed more than 6 million times and shared by 71,000 people.
It’s little wonder the comments have gotten so heated. There’s a lot at stake here. For us parents, there is literally nothing more important than our children. And that’s precisely why I’m willing to grin and bear these slings and arrows. After all, it’s not ME who started theorizing that punishments and rewards were hurting our kids; it’s doctors and psychologists, researchers and scientists. I didn’t present this problem. The problem has been around for a hundred years.
What I’m doing, along with Ty and Linda, is presenting a solution.
If you want to stay apprised of what’s going on with the book — because there are a lot of exciting developments on the horizon! (Did someone say podcast?) — I highly recommend subscribing to the mailing list over at parentshiftbook.com. I’ll be providing snippets here, but over there’s where you’ll find most of the good stuff.
— WTR