PRAISE FOR NOW SAY THIS
"This positive guide offers easy-to-remember ideas and tactics for those moments, some tough and some seemingly simple, when parents just don't know what say. My favorites—'we're leaving room in our tummy for dinner' and 'we're taking a break from soccer to leave our afternoons free for other things'—are great examples of proactive, affirmative strategies that help our kids understand our choices and learn to communicate better themselves."
- KJ Dell'Antonia, former lead editor for The New York Times Motherlode blog
"Heather and Julie’s techniques have given me the tools I so desperately needed to help my kids through their sad, angry, unrelenting moments. It has helped my husband and me to communicate better with them, and for them, in turn, to communicate better with each other as siblings."
-Joy Cho, Founder and Creative Director of Oh Joy!
“This is a brilliantly practical guide to a style of parenting that’s not only kinder but way more effective. The best way to teach children to listen is to listen to them - which is the start of the simple, powerful three-step process the authors reveal here. As the Dad of amazing, feisty three-year-old Holly, I lapped this up and look forward to using it every day.”
-Julian Treasure, five time TED speaker and author of How To be Heard
"This immensely practical guide to the tough parenting questions is a life saver! With detailed explanations, stories, and scripts, Wright and Turgeon show how parents can be empathetic and loving, while setting limits. This wise and compassionate book brings the spirit of mindfulness to where parents and children need it the most— the really hard stuff. I can’t wait to try it out with my daughter!"
-Diana Winston, Director of Mindfulness Education, UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, and author of Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness.
"Instantly useable. Their practical and compassionate method gets you unstuck from difficult parenting moments and gives kids the tools to grow into responsible, emotionally savvy adults."
-Lori Gottlieb, Psychotherapist and author of Marry Him
“I love this book! 'Now Say This' is the perfect go-to for parents who want to communicate clearly with their children, in a manner that actually works. Their solution-based concept of attune/limit set/problem solve is constructive and empowering for the child, allowing them to feel heard, while at the same time, giving parents a specific strategy for solving every day parenting dilemmas. Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright have come up with easy, effective scripts and examples that make it easy to incorporate into your day to day family life. An absolute must-have book.”
-Pattie Fitzgerald, founder safelyeverafter.com
"Read through the eyes of a grandmother, I gained so much new and invaluable insight as to how to effectively and empathically communicate with my grandchildren."
-Wendy Haldeman, MN, RN, IBCLC. Co-founder of The Pump Station & Nurtury
“Turgeon and Wright’s new book offers practical, no-nonsense solutions to disciplining children, and they claim that it is totally possible to be both warm and nurturing while setting clear and appropriate limits for your kids. (Imagine that!)”
-Babble
PRAISE FOR THE HAPPY SLEEPER
"The Happy Sleeper makes happier parents by unleashing their child’s natural ability to sleep with a sensitive, structured approach based on the authors' combined twenty years of clinical experience."
—Dr. Mehmet Oz
"Clear a space on your bookshelf! You'll be consulting this friendly, research-based guide to the blessings of sleep for you and your little ones for many years to come."
—Adele Faber, co-author of How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
“Compassionate, courageous, and creative. . . Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright have written a user-friendly, scientifically-informed, practical guide that provides the information and intention you need to cultivate healthy sleeping habits not only for your child, but for yourself as well! Give your children the relationship security they need while also providing them the structure they require to sleep well and thrive.”
—from the foreword by Daniel J. Siegel, MD, New York Times-bestselling author of Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
“An important resource for parents seeking to give their children a lifetime of quality sleep. Good sleep habits are vital to child development and overall health, and The Happy Sleeper offers real-world strategies for getting children the sleep they need.”
—David M. Cloud, CEO, National Sleep Foundation
05/15/2018
Psychotherapist Turgeon and early childhood therapist Wright, coauthors of The Happy Sleeper and HappySleeper.com, are known for offering online consultation for exhausted parents. Here they employ the ALP method: Attune (watch, listen, and understand), Limit Set (state reasonable boundaries), and Problem Solve (engage your child in creating solutions) to a variety of parenting situations. Though the authors acknowledge that up-front communication is an art, not an exact science, and that their words are not the only words, their research shows that parents are looking for communication examples. After describing ALP, they walk readers through applying the model in challenging moments (tantrums, sibling rivalry, screen time, bedtime, etc.), including sample scripts. VERDICT Parenting styles are so individual, and this book may appeal to some (especially first-timers), but communication with children is not a simple process, and the scripts at times seem stilted. An optional purchase.
