Good Enough Parenting: A Six-Point Plan for a Stronger Relationship With Your Child

by Timothy A. Cavell PhD, Lauren B. Quetsch PhD

Overview

Written for parents of children from toddlers to teens, this book gives parents a science-based plan to help their children grow up to be emotionally healthy adults.

To build healthy and lasting parent-child relationships, parents need practical strategies that meet their child's needs and address the circumstances that affect their families. A parent's job unfolds and shifts over time. Concerns about sleep become worries about tantrums; anxieties about sharing become fears about grades and acting out in school. These concerns are natural, but many parents struggle to handle it all. Some feel drained, some lash out, and some feel like the worst parents in the world. 

This book shows parents how to use a six-step program to build a stronger relationship with their child. It teaches parents how to set parenting goals, prioritize their own emotional health, and create a structure for their family. Having laid that three-step foundation, parents learn the importance of accepting their child for who they are, containing their behavior, and acting as a leader. Prioritizing these six areas and making a plan for them will allow readers to parent proactively rather than reactively and focus on what matters most. No one can be a perfect parent, but you can be a good enough parent, one who shepherds their child toward a healthy, productive adulthood.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433839115
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	12/06/2022
Series:	APA LifeTools Series
Pages:	247
Sales rank:	1,105,136
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Timothy A. Cavell, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of Arkansas and a clinical psychologist who uses short-term, problem-focused therapy that builds on existing strengths. Dr. Cavell's prevention research has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Institute of Education Sciences. Funded projects involve school-based prevention for aggressive children at risk for later substance use and school support for children from military families. Other projects focus on school-based mentoring for chronically bullied children, natural mentoring supports for adolescents exposed to dating violence, and parents' capacity to promote safe, informal mentoring relationships for their children.

Lauren B. Quetsch, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of Arkansas. She attained her BA in psychology from Georgetown University and her PhD in clinical psychology with a specialty in child clinical psychology at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Dr. Quetsch's specialty is in children with disruptive behavior disorders, and she is establishing her career in adapting evidence-based treatments for children on the autism spectrum. Simultaneously, she is continuing to ask questions related to dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments for underserved families and children with disruptive behaviors by collaborations with community mental health agencies.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: Why Read This Book?
Chapter 1: Holistic, Long-Term Parenting: From Toddlers to Teens
Chapter 2: Goals: Knowing What Matters in Parenting
Chapter 3: Health: An Essential Ingredient in Parenting
Chapter 4: Structure: The 4Rs of Being a Family
Chapter 5: Accept: Less Is More
Chapter 6: Contain: Effective Discipline Is Selective Discipline
Chapter 7: Lead: Would You Follow You?
Chapter 8: Next Steps: Building Your Own Parenting Plan
References
Index
About the Authors

What People are Saying About This

Ellen R. DeVoe

This book is packed with science-based, practical strategies for parents of children of all ages. The authors advise with profound respect for parents and the hard work of parenting. They offer real-life examples and exercises parents can use right away. Their approach is hopeful and will be especially valuable for parents who are experiencing parenting challenges. I highly recommend this book.

Regine Galanti

Cavell and Quetsch do a masterful job of giving parents a holistic, effective approach to raising children. They zoom out on parenting, describing the context that makes it so difficult, then give readers a practical plan, filled with quick, easy-to-execute exercises to orient parents towards being “good enough.” A must-read for new and seasoned parents alike!

Clarissa Escobar-Aguilar

What a relief! In an age of so-much, too-much information Good Enough Parenting is a book that fills the mental gap between being and doing. Expert navigation of the science is provided by Cavell and Quetsch’s Six-Point Plan, but the nuggets of the authors’ own personal experiences, sprinkled throughout, are the real gold. Self-doubting parents can truly understand good enough parenting, by learning how the experts reconcile their own education and science with their parenting experiences.

Anne Marie Albano

The single most important decision an adult can make is to become a parent. Parenting is a lifelong commitment that is guaranteed to be challenging and exhausting quite often, but with Good Enough Parenting skills, it is the most treasured and fulfilling role that life has to offer. Cavell and Quetsch provide parents with the guidebook we’ve all been waiting for! These experts offer a clear, step-by-step, evidence-based approach to guiding children toward prosocial and emotionally healthy attitudes, as well as the skills and behaviors that will propel them into young adulthood. Most important, the authors help parents accept and embrace the idea that taking care of themselves will lead to more loving and effective parenting of their kids. Well done!

Daniela J. Owen

As practical as it is deeply thought provoking, Good Enough Parenting teaches the science of good parenting, using easily understandable language and a validating tone. Drs. Cavell and Quetsch explain how to mindfully assess and adjust one’s parenting as children grow, making the book as useful to parents of toddlers as it is to parents of teens.

Terry Stancin

Every parent or caregiver will see themselves and their children in the stories that come alive in the pages of this book. I highly recommend it if you are seeking practical, straightforward, culturally competent child-rearing guidance based on psychological science.

Jill Ehrenreich-May

Good Enough Parenting embraces the vital concept that effective parenting is not a set of disconnected techniques that you apply uniformly to every child. Rather, it is about maximizing your relationship with the child you have and being the responsive parent that they need. Cavell and Quetsch capture this concept beautifully by offering practical concepts that leverage the science of effective youth interventions to benefit any parent looking to build a more positive relationship with their child.

Phyllis L. Fagell

Good Enough Parenting is overflowing with practical, evidence-based, nonprescriptive strategies for how to raise children through tough times with confidence, hope, and self-compassion. As a school counselor who works with parents who often fear they’re not “enough,” I appreciate that the authors, psychologists Tim Cavell and Lauren Quetsch, approach the topic with warmth, wisdom, and frequent reminders that love is caregivers’ greatest superpower.

Mary K. Alvord

Finally, a book that recognizes that parents aren’t and can’t be perfect! Good Enough Parenting offers science-based, realistic guidance on what matters most—building a positive and effective parent–child relationship.

Mary Ann McCabe

Parenting is the hardest work there is! This book offers comprehensive, evidence-based guidance in an encouraging and practical way. Parents may struggle with different things, but all will find something helpful here.

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2022

Psychologists Cavell and Quetsch follow up Working with Parents of Aggressive Children with a wise look at building a strong parent-child relationship, especially for those with children exhibiting emotional or behavioral issues. Their plan includes three “core elements of a strong relationship” and three “foundational supports,” each of which gets its own chapter. The latter includes “goals,” in which parents are prompted to set their parenting objectives, and “health,” which makes a case that one’s physical and emotional well-being is “an essential ingredient in parenting.” “Structure,” meanwhile, emphasizes the importance of routines and rituals, such as at dinner and bedtime. As for the core elements, the authors encourage parents to accept their children and allow them to make mistakes (and note that letting kids express their emotions can turn tough conversations into “teachable moments”), to “contain” misbehavior with “effective discipline” that avoids “harsh, overly punitive” reactions, and to lead by example. Cavell and Quetsch relate every piece of advice to the larger goal of a strong relationship, and there are myriad worksheets to help parents put the methods into practice. This will be a boon to parents overwhelmed by a chaotic home life. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly