"This is far and away the best parenting book I have ever read, and I have read hundreds of them. Imperfect Parenting has a solid science base, but it’s not for eggheads; it’s for real parents who have real kids. Dona Matthews’s message reassures anyone who is a parent or hopes to become one: Building a relationship with your child will bring you the confidence to face any parenting challenge, and your love for each other will just keep on growing. Your child will thank you."

"Imperfect Parenting is brimming with life-changing insights. Dona Matthews, with compassionate and incisive expertise, distills the latest research into understandable tips and tools that can help any parent. But perhaps more important, she outlines a new approach to parenting that will make us more effective as parents and strengthen our relationships with our children. Dr. Matthews does this by combating the punishingly perfectionistic culture around parenting today, that tells us that unless we’ve checked every box on the “good parenting checklist,” we have failed. Imperfect Parenting instead empowers parents to embrace imperfection constructively, and approach every challenge with renewed confidence and hope."

"Imperfect Parenting is a treasure, filled with cutting-edge parenting advice backed by solid research and Dona Matthews’s many years of experience supporting families. This book shows how parents and everyone involved in a child’s life can build or rebuild a strong relationship, which is the ultimate foundation of optimal emotional health."

"Imperfect Parenting covers a wealth of practical information, from advice for healthy eating and sleep to suggestions for how parents can engage with the cognitive, academic, social, and emotional aspects of their children’s development. It is written in a warm, caring way with supportive tips for parents in taking care of themselves as well as their child. Insights from the author’s clinical practice are well integrated with research-based conclusions. The book affirms the message that responsive, loving care is more important for children’s development than any specific parenting dos or don’ts."

"Dona Matthews tackles both difficult and mundane problems of parenting with loving yet practical guidance that is grounded in evidence. I would recommend this book to new parents, those feeling overwhelmed by daily struggles with offspring, and teachers who wonder how classroom behaviors relate to what children may be experiencing at home."

"All parents, both new and experienced, will benefit from reading this compassionate guide to the art and science of parenting. Dona Matthews uses stories and case studies to illuminate the research behind building successful, protective relationships with children. Imperfect Parenting is a highly relatable and ultimately forgiving handbook that gives us permission to learn from our mistakes as we help our children develop into the best versions of themselves."

"Dona Matthews shows how parents who learn to respect their children’s uniqueness, and relate to them with understanding and compassion, form strong connections that support them in becoming themselves. She describes how neuroscience and psychology inform the relationship skills that lead to easier and happier family relationships, as they support children’s diversity and growth."

"Good parenting “is as simple and old-fashioned as the relationship you build with your child,” writes psychologist Matthews (Being Smart About Gifted Learning) in this practical guide. She takes an approach that prizes self-knowledge over perfection, kicking things off with a quiz to help parents determine their parenting style: there’s permissive, authoritarian, neglectful, and authoritative. The latter is the type Matthews champions, as it makes use of “positive reinforcement and reasoning rather than punishment.” The bulk of her advice comes in the form of case studies, each accompanied by a lesson: there’s Ezra, a “spirited” but demanding baby whose experiences illustrate the need to “accept and affirm your child’s unique personality”; Jesse, a teen who begins uncharacteristically lying to her mother and shows how making mistakes can lead to growth; and Jarel, whose parents ask for and receive an advanced math program at his school to aid his development in the subject, showing how to advocate for one’s child. Each scenario builds on Matthews’s notion that parents’ primary job is keeping their child “safe, warm, and fed,” rather than “aiming for parenting perfection.” Parents to kids of all ages will find reassurance in this action-oriented advice. (Apr.)"