Good Inside: The new Sunday Times bestselling gentle parenting guide for fans of Philippa Perry
£11.70£14.20 (-18%)
‘The voice of reason for a generation of… mums and dads’ – The Guardian
Wildly popular parenting expert Dr Becky Kennedy shares her groundbreaking approach to raising kids in a way that feels good.
Over the past several years, Dr Becky Kennedy―known to her followers as ‘Dr Becky’―has been sparking a parenting revolution. Millions of parents, tired of following advice that either doesn’t work or simply doesn’t feel good, have embraced Dr Becky’s empowering and effective approach, a model that prioritises connecting with our kids over correcting them.
From reward charts to time-outs, many popular parenting approaches are based on shaping behaviour, not raising humans. These techniques don’t build the skills kids need for life or account for their complex emotional needs. Add to that parents’ complicated relationships with their own upbringings and it’s easy to see why so many of them feel lost, burned out, and worried they’re failing their kids.
In Good Inside, Dr Becky shares her parenting philosophy, complete with actionable strategies, that will help parents move from uncertainty and self-blame to confidence and sturdy leadership. Offering perspective-shifting parenting principles and troubleshooting for specific scenarios―including sibling rivalry, separation anxiety, tantrums, and more―Good Inside is a comprehensive resource for a generation of parents looking for a new way to raise their kids while still setting them up for a lifetime of self-regulation, confidence, and resilience.
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by Amazon Customer
I’m a psychologist and a Counsellor who work with adults. But I’m also a single mum with a preteen. I read many books about parenting. I thought I was doing alright as a parent ( sticking with consequences or ignoring bad behaviour), but for some reasons it didn’t work with my son and the bad beha started escalating. I couldn’t pinpoint why it didn’t work with my son but I could clearly see that my approach was failing.
This book gave me the needed answers! Now I understand why my approach of consequences/punishment and ignoring bad behaviour didn’t work! Now I have chance to change that! I’m ever so grateful for this book! Life changer x
by Miguel
USEFUL BITS: The second half is brilliantly practical, as are the scenarios throughout e.g. when your child refuses to put their coat on, when TV time is up. Even if you don’t like the phrasing – they give you food for thought on what you might do differently.
ANNOYING BITS:
1) Despite the sunny cover and branding, it’s still conceptually quite guilt/damage heavy. It’s all about ‘repairing’ the damage. ‘Rewiring’ your kid. I don’t find this metaphor that helpful, it’s a bit guilt-inducing and permeates the book.
2) The rhetoric’s pretty emotive, salesy and almost cult-ish at times! Children are ‘terrified’ when you aren’t in control. She doesn’t believe in compromises – we can ‘have it all’. We’re not just improving our parenting, but starting a revolution etc. Grates a bit with me.
3) It’s dogmatic on the sly. I’m a teacher, and think we could all do more to promote connection and self-regulation like Dr Becky says, but she is also extremely against ‘consequences’. Basically, if you do one, she’ll let you off, you’re human after all – but in long term, know you’ll be ‘wiring’ your child badly… I think this is ideological – surely parents can reflect and make a call as to when consequences work or don’t with their kids? Surely other cultures where they use some consequences can’t be all damaging their kids?
OVERALL
Though it grates – and at times worries me – I have still given it 3*s because if you can ignore the ideology and tone, there is so much useful stuff in the second half especially, laid out so clearly, so that even it doesn’t lead to some Dr Becky led Utopian child-reared future, it will still likely lead to fewer tantrums and some lovely moments with your kids.
by Amazon Customer
This book is making me a better person! I bought it to try and be the best mum I can be, but it’s also helped me learn so much more about myself and my relationships with other people too. Everyone should read this book, whether you have kids or not!
by Hannah Elizabeth Johnson
I’ve read quite a few parenting books and I have to say, this one takes some beating. I suppose it’s quite subjective and based on your parenting style. I felt like I was losing the battle everyday with my two-year-old son. I’m a strong advocate for gentle parenting and positive discipline; this book explained typical toddler behaviour very clearly and used anecdotes from an adult’s perspective. It has really helped my son and I to understand each other and work through “difficult moments”.
by Amazon Customer
This book is an absolute must read if you are a parent and if you are not. Childhood directly impacts adult mental health and this book helps to so clearly illustrate this. It helps to understand how you are affected by the way your feelings were taken care of as a child as well as practical ways to help you parent today with the latest research. This book is written in a way that does not blame or shame you, purely to edcuate that there may be another way to parenting. It is an wonderful read and I know I will read again and again.
by K Cranston
I’ve read so many parenting books and none compare to this.
It’s written with compassion and empathy.
It provides workable strategies that feel right and possible.
I think most importantly is that when you’re reading this you’ll feel that Dr Becky genuinely knows what it’s like to be a normal parent with all the guilt that goes with it!
Trust me when I tell you you won’t be disappointed with this book. It’s revolutionary.
by Mrs. A. J. Charzewska
So far the best book on parenting I have ever read. Motivated me to make many changes in creating closer connection with my children. Highly recommended ❤️
by MrsP
I’ve followed Dr Becky on Instagram for a little while now, and have found her perspective on parenting absolutely remarkable. In my opinion, it’s a game changer, and I wish, wish, wish I’d had her and this book years ago. It would’ve saved a great deal of heartache for both me and my kids.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to break the generational pattern of how they were parented. I know my parents did their best, but blimey they were clueless. Dr Becky’s clarity in what everyone’s role is, and how to retain firm boundaries whilst maintaining connection, is what I’ve been looking for.
Some people dismiss this kind of approach, labelling it permissive parenting, allowing children to rule the roost, bringing up spoilt brats, with good old lines like “there’s nothing wrong with how it’s always been done”. In my opinion, they haven’t looked closely enough at what’s being said here.
Sadly, I’m sure this isn’t for everyone – if it was, I think the world would be a much better place. I see so many emotionally dysregulated adults who desperately needed a parent to connect with them and validate their feelings. But if you’re finding parenting difficult (and if you aren’t, I’d love to know how!) and you want things to be better, try this book. It’s absolutely brilliant.