Do you read parenting books and/or attend parenting lectures?

Purrrfect433

All the moms at Ben's co-op read parenting books, attend lectures and conferences on positive discipline and spout off Alfie Kohn quotes like crazy. I feel like a dead-beat for having no clue who Alfie Kohn is and not treating him as the parenting-expert guru he apparently is.

The nest has some of the best parents I've ever heard of, and I never see people name-drop parenting experts or talk about attending sold-out lectures on "parenting with soul". Am I missing something?

stillhoping

I guess that makes two of us then.

Amanda&Chris

That sounds a little over the top.

However, I've read several parenting books and generally find them to be helpful.  I've also attended lectures/conferences dealin with ASD or Aspergers to help me with Ian.

cbidt*sgirl

no, i'm too busy actually parenting my child to be attending lectures or reading long-winded books. 

Temp159135562506975

i am not against reading books if i hit a spot with DS that i just can't seem to figure out on my own - but i've got tons of experience with kids (was a teacher, nanny, etc)... and feel pretty confident in my parenting techniques (and DH's, too) - that i don't need to read books about it.

a lot of those "experts" are quacks IMO... my aunt used to teach a parenting class- and OMG - she had the WORST behaved kids!! Now they are in their 20's and even THEY joke about how bad they were and how ironic it was that she taught those classes!

amanda&rob

Who? lol.

I don't think reading books or going to lectures would hurt anything.  

Purrrfect433

I'm not against books, either. But, as these other moms are my contemporaries IRL, it makes me wonder if THEY are the norm, or if the Nest is the norm I applaud people for wanting to do the best job they can at whatever it is they decide to do, especially parenting. I just didn't know if I was really a slacker in the self-help book/parenting discussions or if they're just over-achievers!

oparcm

I really don't and I don't attend lectures as a parent.  However, I do attend conferences dealing with small children for work issues.  I teach special education and if I have a child with a certain dx, I try to inform myself about the dx.  For instance fragile x syndrome, I've gone to a lecture on that.

summerbrideDC

I read a lot of books when E was a newborn, but not really since. ?I have bought a few books that I might peruse once he's in preschool every day, and I have a little more free time. ?I know who Alfie Kohen is and have read some of his stuff, but not all of it. ?

Lectures?! Um. No. ?I am done w/ school. ?:-)?

AnnapolisLari

cbidt*sgirl:

no, i'm too busy actually parenting my child to be attending lectures or reading long-winded books. 

What she said.