THE HAPPY KID HANDBOOK

With all the parenting information out there and the constant pressure to be the “perfect” parent, it seems as if many parents have lost track of one very important piece of the parenting puzzle: raising happy kids.

Parenting today has gotten far too complicated. It’s never been the easiest job in the world, but with all the “parenting advice” parents are met with at every corner, it’s hard not to become bewildered. It seems that in the past it was a good deal simpler. You made sure there was dinner on the table and the kids got to school on time and no one set anything on fire, and you called it a success. But today everybody has a different method for dealing with the madness--attachment parenting, free-range parenting, mindful parenting. And who is to say one is more right or better than another? How do you choose?

The truth is that whatever drumbeat you march to, all parents would agree that we just want our kids to be happy. It seems like a no-brainer, right? But in the face of all the many parenting theories out there, happiness feels like it has become incidental. That’s where The Happy Kid Handbook by child and adolescent psychotherapist and parenting expert Katie Hurley comes in. She shows parents how happiness is the key to raising confident, capable children. It’s not about giving in every time your child wants something so they won’t feel bad when you say no, or making sure that they’re taking that art class, and the ballet class, and the soccer class (to help with their creativity and their coordination and all that excess energy). Happiness is about parenting the individual, because not every child is the same, and not every child will respond to parenting the same way. By exploring the differences among introverts, extroverts, and everything in between, this definitive guide to parenting offers parents the specific strategies they need to meet their child exactly where he or she needs to be met from a social-emotional perspective. A back-to-basics guide to parenting, The Happy Kid Handbook is a must-have for any parent hoping to be the best parent they can be.

Katie Hurley, LCSW, is a child and adolescent psychotherapist and parenting expert in Los Angeles, California. Hurley earned her bachelor of arts in psychology and women’s studies from Boston College and her master of social work from the University of Pennsylvania. Hurley also has extensive training in play therapy from the University of California–San Diego. For seven years, Hurley worked for The Help Group, a large nonprofit dedicated to children with specific learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and emotional disturbances. She now has a private practice counseling children, adolescents, and families and writes for her blog, Practical Parenting, in addition to contributing to The Huffington Post, Everyday Family, Inc., Moonfrye, and All Parenting. Above all, Hurley is very proud to be called Mommy by Riley, age seven, and Liam, age five.