Book Nook: The Confident Parent

When Dr. Jane Scott initially started in pediatrics in the US, she thought she would spend her time healing children – however, she found herself spending half her time easing the concerns of parents who were stressed out by the pressures of parenting. She wrote THE CONFIDENT PARENT: A Pediatrician’s Guide to Caring for Your Little One – Without Losing Your Joy, Your Mind, or Yourself with Stephanie Land helps parents dial down their insecurities and anxieties with a back-to-basics approach. I had a chance to review this book, which takes a look at how other countries and cultures raise children to parents that we could all benefit from a world of best practice that will release parents from the culturally imposed pressure and stress that has become a de facto parenting badge of honor.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was like preaching to the choir - I really try not to succumb to the temptation to be a tiger mom or helicopter or lawn mower parent. Instead, I try to maintain joy and balance in everything. I enjoyed the global perspective the author has, as it really does help evaluate what is necessary, and what is just a cultural or societal pressure.

Neonatologist and pediatrician Dr. Jane Scott was born in Mombasa, Kenya, lived in England and Ireland, and raised her kids on four continents including in the Australian outback and the South African desert. She’s been a single parent, a working mother, and a stay at home mother and knows how frustrating and overwhelming it can be. Despite the challenges of raising children in a harsh landscape and political climate, she’ll be the first to tell you that it was in America where her adventures truly began.