This will be an ongoing series of book reviews.
I’m lucky to have been on the receiving end of several exciting new parenting books. You may have already read my review of Heather Shumaker’s first book, It’s OK Not to Share or seen the Q&A with her I posted awhile back. Today I want to talk more about the content in her new book.
Heather and I agree about a lot of things. We both promote body autonomy (not forced hugs!), adult modeling of prefered behaviors, long recess, less homework, non-academic Kindergarten, and the downside of “stranger danger.” That’s also a quick overview of a lot of the things covered in this new book.
It’s OK to Go Up the Slide picks up where It’s OK not to Share left off. The theme of trusting children, and their development continues, however some of the topics covered are ones a school aged child might be more likely to encounter while the Share book focused largely on preschoolers. technology, news disasters and self-entertainment are all addressed beautifully.
I love the ongoing feature: Take Off Your Adult Lenses, which really helps aid the reader in seeing things through a child’s eyes. For example, we know we’re responding to an important email or setting up a playdate for a child when our nose in our phone, but they don’t. Or with regard to helping children hear and understand our country’s “unfair history.” We may think a child is too young, but staying silent also send the wrong message. Heather’s “Words To Use” scattered throughout the book are straightforward and extremely useful. She offers helpful tips throughout. Seriously, go get yourself a copy.
I received a complimentary copy of It’s OK to Go Up the Slide for review. You can learn more about Heather’s work at her website, like her on Facebook and read her great blog.
