The Best Parenting Books to Help You Raise Resilient and Confident Kids

Parenting books you should definitely read.

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I'll be the first to admit that I don't enjoy reading parenting books, especially when there's no one right way to raise kids.

Besides, I find a lot of parenting books don't seem to apply well to me since I'm raising neurodiverse children.

However, I have found quite a few parenting books over the years that have resonated with me, which I will share below.

These books have provided me with lots of practical tips, helpful suggestions, and effective strategies for topics such as discipline, self-esteem, resilience, self-regulation, and more. They are books that have armed me with strategies to help my son with meltdowns and helped me not butt heads with my youngest on a constant basis.

I simply take what works from each book and skip the stuff that doesn't seem to work for us and I suggest you do the same.

So let's dive into this list of my favorite books about parenting.

About this List of Parenting Books

Below you will find some of my absolute favorite books about parenting. Here are a few things you need to know about this list of parenting books:

• Some of the suggestions aren't technically parenting books per se, but they are worth mentioning because I believe they cover topics that are extremely relevant to raising children.

• I have actually read every single book on this list myself. That means I am only recommending books that I have truly found helpful myself.

• I will add new books to this list as I find and discover new favorites.

• This list of books is specific to general parenting. If you are looking for books dedicated to parenting autistic children or hyperlexic children, then check out these lists instead: autism parenting books, books about hyperlexia, books about anxiety for parents, or books about sensory processing disorder.

Parenting Books You Should Definitely Read

1. The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children

By Ross W. Greene

While I'm personally not a huge fan of the title of this book, the content, however, is awesome. His approach is respectful of the child and gives you a great overview of how to implement collaborative problem solving with your kids. It's a really great book!

2. Kid Confidence: Help Your Child Make Friends, Build Resilience, and Develop Real Self-Esteem

By Eileen Kennedy-Moore

This book is the only parenting book I've ever binge read. That means, it isn't boring and dry like most parenting books. I found it rather engaging and well-written. It's also research backed, which I love. The layout is nice and digestible, meaning the sections are small and readable, making it manageable for even the busiest of parents to read it. Finally, the tips are practical and so good. I absolutely loved this book and plan to reread it again.

3. Raising Your Spirited Child

By Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

This book was probably one of the first parenting books I ever read. It's also the only parenting book I've reread to date - ha! I think the title could have ditched the "spirited" part though as the information in this book can be applied to any child, spirited or not. Even my husband enjoyed this book and quoted from it for days after finishing it.

4. No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind

By Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson

This book is full of wonderful peaceful and mindful strategies for disciplining your children. It has lots of excellent advice. I did find it excessively wordy though, but still a great book to pick up on the topic of discipline.

5. Raising Freakishly Well-Behaved Kids: 20 Principles for Becoming the Parent Your Child Needs

By Jodi Ann Mullen

I found this book on the hoopla app and thought it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a whirl. While I had never heard of this particular book or author before, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought the advice and strategies in it were excellent and spot-on. It offers up 20 simple principles and it's a quick, easy read. I love when I stumble on a surprisingly good book!

6. The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting: Raising Children with Courage, Compassion, and Connection

By Brene Brown

This audiobook isn't too long. It honestly seems more like a TED talk or personal discussion with a friend more so than a book. I found it really good. Lots of good takeaways.

7. Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success

By Carol S. Dweck

Okay, obviously this book isn't a parenting book per se, but I do think it is an important topic for parents to read about. While the book is a bit repetitive and can be tedious to get through (I suggest going the audiobook route!), it illustrates the difference between having a growth mindset and having a fixed mindset.

8. In Other Words: Phrases for Growth Mindset

By Annie Brock

Speaking of mindset, this book was hidden gem. I really enjoyed it. Yes the title is geared towards teachers instead of parents, but I think the advice and strategies inside are helpful. I remember binge reading this book, which as I mentioned above, doesn't happen much with parenting books. She also has other growth mindset books such as The Growth Mindset Coach, but I haven't read any of her other books yet.

9. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

By Angela Duckworth

This book isn't obviously about parenting per se, but teaching your kids how to be gritty and persevere, even with things get hard, is an incredibly important topic. The book can be a bit repetitive and features a lot of anecdotes (I prefer actual research and science), but overall, I still think it's a good read for parents.

10. The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind

By Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson

This book has some awesome mindfulness strategies in it and lots of helpful advice, but it's excessively wordy and a bit tedious to get through at times (that could just be how all parenting books feel to me though too!). Some of the ideas and concepts felt a bit off and outdated to me too. I wasn't wowed by this book or anything, but, overall, it's an interesting read. It's just not my favorite parenting book of the bunch I've listed here. But, like I said, it's got some great strategies in it.

Other Resources You'll Love

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