Play Audiobook Sample
Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(4.00) - 1,474 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Today's busier, faster society is waging an undeclared war on childhood. With too much stuff, too many choices, and too little time, children can become anxious, have trouble with friends and school, or even be diagnosed with behavioral problems. Now internationally renowned family consultant Kim John Payne helps parents reclaim for their children the space and freedom that all kids need for their attention to deepen and their individuality to flourish. Simplicity Parenting offers inspiration, ideas, and a blueprint for change:
• Streamline your home environment. Reduce the amount of toys, books, and clutter—as well as the lights, sounds, and general sensory overload.
• Establish rhythms and rituals. Discover ways to ease daily tensions, create battle-free mealtimes and bedtimes, and tell if your child is overwhelmed.
• Schedule a break in the schedule. Establish intervals of calm and connection in your child's daily torrent of constant doing.
• Scale back on media and parental involvement. Manage your children's "screen time" to limit the endless deluge of information and stimulation.
A manifesto for protecting the grace of childhood, Simplicity Parenting is an eloquent guide to bringing new rhythms to bear on the lifelong art of raising children.
Download and start listening now!
"AMAZING! I wish this could be mandatory reading for EVERYONE considering parenthood. It really drives home the fact that kids don't need so much stuff, so many structured activities, and so much stimulation. They need routine, quality time alone, quality time with parents, and space to be CHILDREN. The tips in this book are geared towards parents, but they really hold true for anyone looking to live a more balanced, less stressful life. A lot of the stuff I already knew, but it was helpful to see it outlined so clearly, and with concrete examples for implementation."
— Colleen (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“This book is a wake-call for all of us who have misjudged what children need and can handle.”
— Steve Biddulph, bestselling author of The Secret of Happy Children -
“Though simplicity parenting may seem a stretch for some, others will find that Payne’s program for restoring creative play, order, and balance is long overdue.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Brilliant, wise, informative, innovative, entertaining, and urgently needed…a doable plan for providing the kind of childhood kids desperately need today!”
— Edward M. Hallowell, MD, author of The Childhood Roots of Adult Happines -
Brilliant, wise, informative, innovative, entertaining, and urgently needed . . . a doable plan for providing the kind of childhood kids desperately need today!
— Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., author of The Childhood Roots of Adult Happines
Simplicity Parenting Listener Reviews
-
" Highly recommend this one to all parents. Very good ideas for simplifying our children's lives, and also the research behind why we should do so! "
— Robyn, 2/15/2014 -
" Loved every word. Such a wonderful and simple answer to today's hurried lifestyle. It's the only parenting book that I will read again and again because I think we can always make more, little, simple changes to make life happier. If you try to implement everything at once, you'll probably increase your stress. Just do one suggestion every couple months. It's totally worth it! "
— Nidhi, 2/15/2014 -
" Over all, I loved the message of this book. Less is more. Less stuff, less noise, less TV, less organized activities (sports, etc). Truly this book is about simplicity in parenting! :) The beginning section of this book talked a lot about ADD and ADHD which I skimmed through or skipped all together as it's not something I was after. Good parenting advice! "
— Alisonk12, 2/14/2014 -
" Interesting take on how too much stuff and too many activities affect us and our kids. I didn't agree with all of it, but some of it made a lot of sense in ways I hadn't considered before. Motivated me to clean my house and get rid of some stuff! :-) "
— Nancy, 2/3/2014 -
" Precious insights. Very well written, reads like a breeze. I appreciated all the research information just as much as the inspirational personal stories. "
— Nadya, 2/2/2014 -
" Fabulous, albeit a little heavy-handed. Five stars for an important message. "
— Marisa, 1/30/2014 -
" Very useful book-but be warned the author is verbose and repetitive. Despite that, I enjoyed his ideas and solutions muchly! :) "
— Jill, 1/25/2014 -
" I could not find a book that better represents my parenting philosophy. It validated some of my own feelings and concerns about raising children. "
— Mandy, 1/19/2014 -
" Probably one of the best parenting books I've read: whittle down the number of toys you have, do notoverschedule the kids, create ways to give your kids a "big picture" of how their day will go, don't overexplain things, create family rhythms, etc. Excellent!!! "
— Susan, 1/7/2014 -
" This book says exactly how I want to parent my kids, and I'm trying to. I recommend it to any parent. "
— Emilydodge, 12/21/2013 -
" The message of this book is phenomenal and confirms a lot of the things I already believe about raising my son. It is slightly repetitive but if you can overlook that, the book has some important ideas for simplifying the life of your child and yourself! "
— Karin, 12/13/2013 -
" Some good ideas but very hard to read. I didn't like the voice of the author. "
— Brooke, 9/26/2013 -
" Very thought-provoking book. I can see the logic of what he proposes and the ideas have true merit. I have been mulling them over and over in my mind. I really liked reading this book. "
— Megan, 8/17/2013 -
" I really just skimmed this book as it's not really new information to me, but the author presents it nicely and it's good to be reminded. I'm reading Sharifa Oppenheimer's book now and like it a bit more because she gives a little more about developmental stages and what's appropriate. "
— Heather, 7/16/2013 -
" I am so happy with our path to simplifying. The peace and calm is coming! "
— LaDonna, 6/14/2013 -
" A guide to raising kids in this frenetic, modern, material-possession-obsessed world. "
— David, 9/9/2012 -
" This book is on my short list for parenting. The only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is that I disagree with the author on several different points, mostly in regards to worldview. "
— Melissa, 5/20/2012 -
" Good advice to keep yourself in check and teach your kids not to "keep up with the Jones's" mindframe that is very easy to fall into. "
— Amie, 3/19/2012
About the Authors
Kim John Payne, MEd, has been a school counselor for nearly twenty years and a private family counselor-therapist for over fifteen years. He has worked extensively with the North American and UK Waldorf movements and is currently the director of the Waldorf Collaborative Counseling Program at Antioch University New England, the director of a large research program on a drug-free approach to attention priority disorders, and a partner of the Alliance for Childhood in Washington, DC. Payne lives with his wife and two children in Harlemville, New York.
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.
About Arthur Morey
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.