5 Best Parenting Books That Should Be Required Reading

I never used to read parenting books right before and after my first child was born. I thought I would be too overwhelmed with conflicting advice or felt like I could figure it out on my own.

But wow, did I wildly underestimate how difficult this whole motherhood thing would be. I was craving that connection with others, the positive reinforcement that I could do it, the reminder that I wasn’t alone in the struggle, and the advice on how to make it easier for myself and therefore better and more positive for my children. So I succumbed to the parenting books. And I’m so glad I did because I’ve read some that have absolutely changed my life and I know will end up changing my children’s for the better.

So here are the top parenting books I’ve read in the hopes that if you read them, you may have some hugely gratifying takeaways as well.

Table of Contents

Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff

If you only read one book from this list, this is the one I would implore you to read. The author visited and immersed herself in three entirely different cultures from our own to learn about the wisdom of their parenting choices. And wise they are! Learn all about the most respectful children in the world, the most emotionally intelligent, and the most confident children and learn all about how they got that way. The parenting advice in this book is advice I’d never heard before from the western perspective and now that I’ve begun to implement these in my own life with my children, the choices feel so much better.

Best for:

Parents who are tired of yelling at their kids
Parents who feel exhausted by their kids

The Collapse of Parenting by Leonard Sax

This one hits hard. While “Hunt, Gather, Parent” is more timeless with its advice and not specific to what parents are going through today, The Collapse of Parenting is the opposite. It talks about the very unique challenges parents face today in our current climate and a lot of “new normals” in our society (think social media and smartphones!). While it provides a lot of spotlights on the challenges and evidence to back it up, it also provides a lot of tactics and solutions. So while at times you may feel overwhelmed, hang in there because you will leave the book feeling empowered.

Best for:

Parents trying to navigate “gentle parenting”
Parents concerned about social media, smartphones, etc.

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

You’ll probably feel like you know all you need to know about technology and childhood after finishing “The Collapse of Parenting”, but “The Anxious Generation” dives even deeper into it. So if you aren’t convinced after “The Collapse of Parenting” on why to delay giving your child a phone or letting them sign up for social media, you will be after finishing this one.

Best for:

Parents who still need more evidence on the harms of technology on our kids

Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross

The only reason this one isn’t higher is because a lot of the solutions and ideas overlap with some presented in books I’ve listed previously, especially those in Hunt, Gather, Parent. Simplicity Parenting presents them in a very different and interesting way, but the takeaways remain largely aligned between both books, which I look at as a great thing. But if after reading Hunt, Gather, Parent, you want to dive even deeper into learning more about simplifying every area of your child’s lives, this is the ultimate guide and motivation to do it.

Best for:

Parents who have their kids signed up for every extracurricular activity
Parents who love gifting their kid toys

Protecting the Gift by Gavin De Becker

Totally different than the other four, this book reminds you to listen to that gut instinct. It gives you invaluable information on how to identify sketchy situations for your kids and teens, how to protect them from threats in the real and virtual world, and what to teach them so that they can help keep themselves safe, too. It’s a book every parent should be required to read. And while there are some pretty tough spots to get through, they are necessary to ensure you never forget the importance of it all.

Best for:

Literally every parent.

I’d love to hear about the best parenting books you’ve ever read and if you’ve read any on this list, let me know! I can’t wait to hear about your favorites!

Happy reading!