They're Not Giving You a Hard Time. They're Having One.

Your child is not giving you a hard time. They are having one.If you are the parent of a young child under the age of 8 who struggles with big emotions, rigid thinking, impulsive behavior, or simply getting through the day without a meltdown, then this book was written for you.Written by a clinical child psychologist and mother of two, They're Not Giving You a Hard Time. They're Having One offers a compassionate, practical, and genuinely different approach to parenting children with self-regulation difficulties. Drawing on the groundbreaking work of Dr. Ross Greene and Dr. Stanley Greenspan, this book replaces blame and punishment with understanding and skill-building, because children are not choosing to struggle. They are missing the skills to do things differently. And skills can be built.Chapter by chapter, you will find warm, affectively engaging strategies for every part of your child's day: mornings, mealtimes, transitions, meltdowns, homework, playdates, bedtime, and being out in the world. Each chapter is grounded in clinical expertise and real-life parenting wisdom, with concrete activities your family can start using today.This is not a book about perfect parenting. It is a book about 'good-enough' parenting and why 'good-enough' parenting is exactly what your child needs.