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The Soft-Spoken Parent
Short tempers and lapses of patience are every parent's challenge. Parenting struggles are real, but they are also conquerable. President Hinckly has encouraged us to be a little softer, a little kinder with our children. Make this challenge a little easier with some simple and practical strategies prepared by H. Wallace Goddard, PH.D. Dr. Goddard has spent years studying, practicing, and giving counsel on more effective parenting.
210 pages
First published January 1, 2006
21 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 28, 2019
An absolutely fabulous collection of strategies to help you respond with compassion and love in any situation that threatens to cause wrath or anger. Despite the title this book is not only for parents but the strategies are truths that be applied in all situations and with all relationships.
I'm so very glad to have read this book and will make it a point to work on implementing them in my daily interactions.
I'm so very glad to have read this book and will make it a point to work on implementing them in my daily interactions.
June 8, 2009
I thought this book had a lot of helpful ideas. My favorite thought was that as parents we are not to judge and punish our children but rather to "nurture and admonish" them. I liked how he encouraged parents to look at their children with an eternal perspective, and to remember who they are and what their potential is. I also found liked his suggestions about being positive and making sure that we tell our children with our actions and our words that we love them and not to let our actions cancel out our words. I really liked this book and think it has helped me to be a little more patient and a little kinder.
February 3, 2013
This book has wonderful recommendations and insights. Powerful examples and excellent points. It will fee your spirit and soul. It will make you feel like you happy and a good parent and at time help you see that you need work and feel pain or sorrow. The book explains that if pain and sorrow are felt that we can renew our efforts and use that as a good force to change and be better.
Best parenting book I have read. Hands down!
Best parenting book I have read. Hands down!
July 14, 2008
I really enjoyed this author. You can tell he has struggled and he gives great examples and quotes. A great read too, not something you have to trudge through, but that you can enjoy.
July 27, 2018
This was what I've been looking for. A great mix of parenting strategies from a psychological perspective and gospel principles. I loved all the quotes about parenting from past prophets and apostles alongside great quotes from leading psychologists. This book has given me lots of great ways to either avoid anger or tame it. This is mainly geared towards families of the LDS Faith, but I feel like anyone would benefit from the advice he gives. I just truly loved this book, and I plan to look for more from Dr. Wally.
December 16, 2021
Sweet and creative ideas for having compassion for one's children.
January 28, 2010
I haven't taken the time to update my reading list lately, but this is a book that I have to recommend... and not just to parents. I found the ideas in this book to be applicable to all relationships. Each chapter is short and can be read in a manner of minutes, but gives a lot to think about. I've read so many parenting books. Some have been helpful. Some of them make sense but don't work for me. Some are ridiculous. I just read one that suggested I get down on my hands and knees and talk baby talk to my tantrum-throwing toddler. No offense if this works for some people, but it is definitely not my style. This book is based on Christian principles that are not new, but are collected and described in such an accessible way. His ideas in applying these principles to parenting rang true to my heart and truly inspired me on a daily basis to try to be a better spouse and parent. I had borrowed this book from the library, but after I read it I bought it. This is one I'll read and refer to again.
October 18, 2016
Third time reading this, and still just as good and beneficial.
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This was my second time reading this book, and it really made a difference in my life. It was exactly what I needed right now.
"It is not the parent who seems to do it all perfectly who will be exalted. It is the one who recognizes his own failing and calls upon Father with all the energy of his heart.... If we are to excel at parenting, we must have divine help." (pg. 206)
"It should be no surprise that some of the greatest trials of our lives come in parenting and family life. Only a task that demands the sacrifice of all our pride, all our self-importance, and all our stubbornness has the power to make us perfect." (pg. 207)
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I think this book had great insights into how we can become softer, more Christ-like parents. I plan to read it again so I don't forget all the advice and counsel. I recommend it to anyone!
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This was my second time reading this book, and it really made a difference in my life. It was exactly what I needed right now.
"It is not the parent who seems to do it all perfectly who will be exalted. It is the one who recognizes his own failing and calls upon Father with all the energy of his heart.... If we are to excel at parenting, we must have divine help." (pg. 206)
"It should be no surprise that some of the greatest trials of our lives come in parenting and family life. Only a task that demands the sacrifice of all our pride, all our self-importance, and all our stubbornness has the power to make us perfect." (pg. 207)
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I think this book had great insights into how we can become softer, more Christ-like parents. I plan to read it again so I don't forget all the advice and counsel. I recommend it to anyone!
January 26, 2010
My mom gave me this book for Christmas (with the assurance that she wasn't trying to "fix" me but that she liked the articles that she'd read by the author and thought I'd like the book)
And I did like the book, a lot! The title is pretty self-explanatory for what it's about. When he says "more than 50 strategies" he means 55. And they are all good. One thing that bugs me about not just his book, but lots of these type of books is that they up the number of strategies by repeating the same things over and over.
Some are actual "strategies" LIke learning your child's love language, figuring out what's going on in the child's life, taking a walk, etc. But a lot are just mental states "be more accepting, recognize the divinity in your children, or my personal favorite-say NO to anger (if we could just do that, then his book wouldn't be selling, now would it?)
But I did like it, there's lots of good stuff in there. I'd recommend it.
And I did like the book, a lot! The title is pretty self-explanatory for what it's about. When he says "more than 50 strategies" he means 55. And they are all good. One thing that bugs me about not just his book, but lots of these type of books is that they up the number of strategies by repeating the same things over and over.
Some are actual "strategies" LIke learning your child's love language, figuring out what's going on in the child's life, taking a walk, etc. But a lot are just mental states "be more accepting, recognize the divinity in your children, or my personal favorite-say NO to anger (if we could just do that, then his book wouldn't be selling, now would it?)
But I did like it, there's lots of good stuff in there. I'd recommend it.
October 12, 2009
The low rating is more for the fact that I really loathe most self-help books. I either don't feel engaged enough to have it do me any good or it feels sort of obvious. I also can't stand it when there are self-study questions. It feels heavy-handed to me. I want to be a more soft-spoken parent, but this wasn't working for me. Basically all the strategies require you to step back and breathe in a moment of stress, which is exactly what I need to do, but I knew that already. So I guess I should read my scriptures more to get a longer perspective so I can stay calm in those moments. But this book did't really help me with that. That said, I think the book might be helpful to some people. It might be worth a check out from the library for most parents.
October 31, 2008
My daughter has entered her tempestuous twos and my patience started wearing thin. This book at first seemed full of obvious strategies for dealing with challenging situations, but as I read on, I discovered that reading these seemingly obvious strategies was a great reminder of how I can better deal with the everyday trials of parenthood. I don't love the format of the book, but I can honestly say that I use some of the 50 strategies daily!
October 3, 2009
The introduction to the book was wonderful. Every good parent needs to read the introduction. As I started reading the actual book I found myself thinking I disagree with the basis of the book. We should not anger, but consequences should follow actions. I have seen a few people parent the way this book recommends and the results they are getting aren't the results I want. I think this book is at one end of the spectrum and we need to be in the middle.
October 9, 2016
Loved this book. Loved reading the strategies to control anger and frustration. One of my favorite quotes "Nothing is more challenging than parenting. It is one of the most challenging courses God offers in preparation for eternity. It is extraordinarily rare for anyone to make an "A" in this course." This is a book I will keep out and keep reading because the strategies are so helpful in everyday parenting.
June 7, 2008
I enjoyed this book. While I really liked some of his ideas, other of the ideas seemed a little repetitive, but written in a sincere way. Very encouraging to parents; helps you want to keep trying and helps you to look upon your children with greater compassion--good at giving the child's perspective.
January 17, 2011
Many of the methods are kind of a "duh" (but I suppose this kind of book needs to be written to all levels, and just because I knew about the methods doesn't mean I was employing them!), and many of them are very opaquely named, but I did find a lot in this book that I'll be trying to incorporate into my parenting.
August 25, 2016
I truly felt the desire and ability to be a better parent after reading this book.
I loved The Soft Spoken Parent! WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD...AND MORE!
Quotes from prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were my favorite part. Their words are true and powerful. There are many quotes and scriptures used that I had not heard before. So happy I read this :-) Woohoo!!!
I loved The Soft Spoken Parent! WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD...AND MORE!
Quotes from prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were my favorite part. Their words are true and powerful. There are many quotes and scriptures used that I had not heard before. So happy I read this :-) Woohoo!!!
October 23, 2008
This book is meant to be a workbook however, I checked it out from the library so I didn't use it that way. He offers very good ideas and quotes a lot of scriptures and General Authorites. I felt it was uplifting and gave me new inspiration to be a better parent and wife and person.
May 11, 2009
This is a great book! It gives a ton of realistic approaches to dealing with your frustration and anger with your kids. I think it also leads to a greater understanding of anger and how to deal with it.
Currently reading
July 13, 2009I need this book for some summer coping mechanisms! :) It is giving me great ideas. Anger is such a destructive force, and is much of the time unwarranted--at least in every day situations. I appreciate tools to deal with anger in a positive way.
April 22, 2010
Loved the intro! There was good insight & something to take from each strategy as well. Quick read, it may not be all new information but it is a good reminder to focus on how you respond & to keep things in perspective on what matters most...your relationships.
October 11, 2011
I found myself not liking my current parenting style so picked up this book my mom gave me years ago. I have really enjoyed reading it. Some of the suggestions are repetitive but overall it was wonderful.
October 28, 2015
book club book. I will definitely be re-reading this often to remind myself of the best way to deal with all my relationships, not just with my kids. It's nice to believe that I can stop yelling, that I can be a more perfect parent.
July 10, 2016
The way this book is organized is the key to its success. You can easily choose any of the simple ideas to focus on each day, as it is broken up into short chapters, each focused on a simple suggestion. ❤️❤️❤️
November 28, 2007
This book was not quite what I expected from the title. It was good, but not as applicable as I had hoped for.
February 9, 2008
Not quite what I was hoping for. It is full of really great tips and advice, but it is more of a list/workbook. I didn't even actually finish reading it.
February 4, 2008
I totally need to read this book a little every day! It was very helpful in getting another perspective on how to make good choices in parenting. Now if I can just impliment it!!
April 16, 2008
I really enjoyed reading through this bood. The format was great, but I didn't work any of the exercises. It really helped give me a litle needed perspective.
September 27, 2010
not so much parenting guidance but a great anger management/control your temper books which is what i need so i enjoyed it but not my favorite parenting book.
May 1, 2010
I love this book! It really makes me think about things through my children's perspectives. I like to read one idea a night to refresh my thoughts on parenting.
July 14, 2008
Excellent parenting book - easy to read, gospel centered teaching and examples. I renewed it again and again through the library here and highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews