Title: Innovative Parenting
Subtitle: Simple Tips for Raising Awesome Kids
Author: Judi Holdeman
Publisher: Westwood Books Publishing, LLC
Pages: 60
ISBN: 978-1-64361-027-6
Genre: Parenting, Psychology
Reviewed by: Beth Adams

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It has often been said by many that children don’t come with an operator manual or instructions. Innovative Parenting by Judi Holdeman can be considered such a guide, as its subtitle suggests, Simple Tips for Raising Awesome Kids.

Holdeman gave birth to 3 healthy babies by the time she was 23 years old, so she tells her story firsthand as she uses herself as a “before” example in many cases. Later in life, she had a 4th child, by which time she had attended a program on parenting which showed her some of the techniques she craft-fully has written into her book. Her writing style is very clear, straightforward and to the point, making this an engulfing read whether you are going to have children, already have children of lower single-digit years, or even have had children who are now grown – in which case you can see if you “did the right thing” along the way.

Some of the highlights are: She talks about allowing your baby to cry to sleep – although difficult not to comfort him/her, by allowing the baby to cry, the baby will know that “mom” won’t come back and crying won’t be “rewarded.” After two or three evenings, the crying may go on for less than an hour, and the baby will go to sleep from then on without crying. She has an interesting ratio of 10:4 for Positive: Negative reinforcement. This means for every time you need to discipline your child, you need to compliment your child with loving admiration two or three times moreover. Just say “No” once – and stick to it, never change your mind. If your child says “no” to you then give him/her a choice of two things of which either way it is OK with you. One fascinating point in particular worth mentioning is not to create a phobia within your child about strangers. Certainly caution needs to be instilled, but there is a quote that “strangers are friends you just haven’t met yet,” is a good philosophy for raising more socially involved children. Also she mentions that liars aren’t born, they are made – so encourage your children to tell the truth even if they know they did the wrong thing and may be punished.

These points may seem obvious to many, however the natural parental instincts of raising children often goes against the grain of these concepts. The formative years are so important to how your child will be as a young adult, as many of the behavioral patterns are difficult or even impossible to change in later years. I would recommend Innovative Parenting to all couples starting or growing families, as it is never too late to put these practices into play. This is an ideal gift for any baby shower, or a must in a waiting room’s bookshelf for pediatric care. Good advice, well taken, is the sign of an intelligent person, and every parent can benefit from the intelligence and good advice written by Holdeman within the covers of her book.