I heart Dr. Parker

I'm enjoying reading Dr. Steven Parker's Healthy Children blog at WebMD. This man comes across as a real mensch -- he obviously loves and respects children, and he appreciates the importance, difficulty, and joy of parenting. He pulls no punches. Here's an example of his honest writing: Does having kids make you happy?

Oh, and he co-authored the 1998 edition of the classic book "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care." I referred to it often as a new mom. I still remember how comforted I felt when I read the first line: "Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."

Technorati Tags: WebMD, Steven Parker

Comments

[Keith]

Excellent link. I'll enjoy this guy. Thanks.

[Dipesh Navsaria]

He is a true mensch. I took a class co-taught by him at Boston University School of Public Health about 11 years ago. Wonderful approach to problem-solving and thinking about issues. His text on Developmental/Behavioural peds is a great read too, at least for those of us in health care. :-)

I've been meaning to drop him a line after discovering his blog just last week.

[Stu Mark]

Absolutely, he is a brave person for being so candid. You can't have happy kids if you aren't happy. I wasn't a completely happy person until I became a parent. But then I became afraid that I would engender sadness in my kids, so I set about making myself happy. I discovered the true joy of writing and painting and film and music and love, and now I am the happiest person in the world. Yes, kids make mistakes and they can be a real challenge, but that doesn't mean you have to stop smiling. The best thing I do for myself (and them) when they are acting like right bastards is to smile at them and tell them I love them. Not only does it help remind me of how special they are, but it also (normally) stops their shenanigans right in their tracks. So the kid-centered freakout becomes a win-win. Yay!