I would like to recommend two books that have really helped me put these concepts into practice. Both of these books are more practical than theoretical so they are loaded with lots of real life scenarios. If anyone else knows of similar books I would love to hear about them.
Playful Parenting by Larry Cohen really helped me see the possibilities of the playful side of discipline. The methods helps really helps with power struggles, connecting with kids (I love you rituals) and allowing children to process difficult emotions (bullying.) The examples in the book are geared more toward the 3-12 year old range. But with some creativity younger and older kids could be included, however teens may be more likely to get embarrassed by such silliness.
Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Laura Davis and Janis Keyser helped me develop a communication style that respects children’s feelings and intelligence while helping me see the situation from their perspective. They also help nurture a child’s genuine empathy and consideration for others. The book is a reference guide to the first 5 years. If you decide to read it I would suggest reading parts 2 & 4 plus chapters 23 & 24. I have been using their socialization techniques with my twins for about a year now. Now they are 2.5 I can really see progress. My DD, who is a talker, shows that she is already thinking about other people’s feelings. The other day she took a toy from her brother and he cried. She said “he’s crying, he looks sad. Do you want the toy?” Then she gave it back to him without my saying a word to her. Here are some links some articles written by the same authors to give an idea of their methods. They also have a lot of other interesting articles on their website.
http://www.becomingtheparent.com/subsections1/question6.htmlhttp://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tpbehavior/0,,71g0,00.html
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