Diane Ross-Glazer thought of herself as a parenting expert. After all, she was a psychotherapist specializing in parenting with two children of her own. She felt confident in her ability to guide parents through the pitfalls of raising children...that is, until she had her third child, Alexa. Right from the start, Alexa's prickly, unpredictable behavior led to tears, temper tantrums, and eventually, screaming matches. It also led Dr. Ross-Glazer on a journey to discover what goes wrong in the communication between parents and their children.
What Dr. Ross-Glazer discovered was that she and Alexa were speaking different languages: She was speaking in the language of thoughts while Alexa was speaking in the language of feelings. To communicate better, Dr. Ross-Glazer would have to relearn a language now foreign to her - the language of feelings.
In the process of learning that foreign language, Dr. Ross-Glazer realized a vital psychological pathway exists between thoughts and feelings. For children (and adults) to be emotionally healthy the pathway, which she called the Head-Heart Connection, has to be in tact. When that pathway is disrupted feelings can became trapped inside the heart, causing behavior to go awry.
In When Parenting is a Foreign Language, Dr. Ross-Glazer clearly and compassionately provides parents with crucial insight and specific tools to help their child avoid the pain of a Head and Heart that have become disconnected.
In addition, Dr. Ross-Glazer discusses the importance of discipline as she shows parents how to successfully set boundaries and maintain control without yelling, so children can keep their valuable Head-Heart Connection intact.
In this book, Dr. Ross-Glazer will:
*Introduce you to the simple, yet vital concept of the Head-Heart Connection.
*Teach you step by step how to repair the Head-Heart Connection should it break and how to maintain that connection once repaired.
*Demonstrate how consistent, child-centered discipline helps keep the head and heart connected.
*Show you how your actions impact your child's psychological development.
*Help you learn to speak your child's language and understand your child's thought process
Though Parenting as a Second Language is directed at parents, the concepts Dr. Ross-Glazer teaches apply to adults as well. Everyone can learn something from reading this entertaining, yet highly instructive parenting book.
