Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings: How to Stop the Fighting and Raise Friends for Life (The Peaceful Parent Series) Paperback – May 5, 2015

The best book of parenthood for siblings. I love both books Dr. Laura Markham guidance by example is easy to apply for a peaceful family.

My spouse and I have a newborn and a 2.5 year old at home, and this book has been our go-to tool for dealing with sibling relationships (we're both only children, so siblings are new territory for us!). We also own and have read Siblings Without Rivalry, and the content, while very complimentary and respectful, is NOT the same. The two books are different, offer different perspectives and content, but are still in the same vein. As others have said, this book is especially good for kids under 4 or 5, and for tips to use when adding a new baby to the family. I am SO glad I found this book when I did and wish I had purchased it sooner in pregnancy (2nd trimester - I didn't get to use a lot of the tips for pregnancy sadly).We practice RIE and Montessori parenting philosophies and this book is very complimentary with those "respectful parenting" approaches. I especially love the author's use of concrete details and examples - you will walk away from this book with MANY phrases and responses to fall back on to use in a variety of situations.My *only* gripe -- and I nearly knocked it down to 4 stars for this -- is the author's use of the male pronoun. This book HEAVILY relies on "he", "him", "his", etc. to refer to child - often two siblings, and brothers. I find this incredibly distracting and lopsided when it comes to gender equality, at best. The book almost exclusively talks about male children and siblings! My two children happen to be girls, and I find it hard to relate at times. Furthermore, when the female pronoun is used, it is used very briefly, and the book switches back and forth between male and female haphazardly. Not very intuitive, and it's hard to read at times. Kinda frustrating. It almost seems as if the author wrote exclusively with the male pronoun and during the editing process just tossed a few females in there, here and there. PLEASE address this issue in future editions.

This book is so helpful! If you've read any of the "How To Talk So Kids Will Listen" series, or "Siblings Without Rivalry", you will love this! It has real life-scenarios, with sample scripts of how to coach kids through conflicts and meltdowns. The techniques work really well, and I can already see my kids making progress just after a month of trying the ideas. It's the parenting book I wish I had a few years ago. I highly recommend it!

Laura Markham makes many salient arguments for positive parenting, and gives wonderful advice for helping siblings to live together harmoniously. I have been using her methods with my 4-year-old and his baby sister, and I already see the benefits for our entire family. I was raised in an abusive household, and I am committed to raising my own children with compassion and empathy. This book is an awesome resource for me, and other parents who need to study the why's and how's of helping kids to become emotionally intelligent, well-adjusted adults. I wish that this informtion had been available to my own parents, but at least with the insight available in books like this, my generation will be better able to create peace and happiness in our homes.

I have Dr. Laura's other book and receive her email tips too. I pre-ordered this book on Amazon but once it arrived I noticed it is more for families with younger kids and introducing a baby into the family. On page xvii of the introduction, the author states she recommends "Siblings Without Rivalry" as the first book to parents of school-age children who aren't getting along. Our children are almost 8 and 10. I may pass this book onto my cousin who has younger kids. This would have been great a few years ago but we didn't have the rivalry until later. The author talks about more rivalry between kids that are closer in age and other scientific findings which help parents. It will be perfect for a family with younger kids or even great to read before the next baby arrives! I never considered rivalry and have been very surprised by it. It can drive you crazy in the moment and then you worry that as they grow up they will grow further apart.

Of all the parenting books I have purchased (and there have been a lot), this is the best. She goes into specific circumstances where a vague book might leave you wondering how to handle a situation. This covers everything. And if you need something more in depth on a particular subject area she offers a recommendation on what to read. This is so helpful. I'm a first time mom and I think everyone should have this as a baby shower gift, because there is nothing you can give a mom that would help her more than this. I am planning to have another child but even if I don't I still think this is a great buy!! Great for preventative parenting. Avoid some of those fights with certain methods or help your child become more loving and nicer to those around him. It covers everything!

This book is so helpful in understanding how to calm tensions between siblings. I found a few of the insights absolutely mind blowing. I always thought I shouldn't intervene in my kids' fights - that I should let them work it out. But she explains why kids sometimes need our guidance or they can get into bad habits where on kid always gets his way just b/c he's bigger. We shouldn't be the judge, telling them who is right, but we should coach them in expressing themselves and coming up with win-win solutions. This book will have an immediate impact on how I help my children work through their differences.