It’s a blueprint for parents -- from diapers to family dinners, helping with homework to college goodbyes, No Regrets Parenting: Turning Long Days and Short Years into Cherished Moments with Your Kids by Harley Rotbart, MD, professor, School of Medicine, Pediatrics, (Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, $14.99). The book considers the challenges and joys parents experience as they watch and participate in their child’s growth. Recognizing that time is a precious commodity for every parent, Rotbart provides sage advice to enable parents to maximize the time with their children and to transform minutes spent to moments shared.
In short, manageable chapters comprising three parts (Basic Principles, Simple Strategies, College and Beyond), Rotbart blends a balanced parenting philosophy with practical applications to promote special, everyday moments with kids. Inspiring as well as helpful, Rotbart reminds parents the time to miss children is once they leave home—not while they are still there—and to optimize opportunities with them before moments are replaced with memories.
The book includes practical advice including:
- How to start family traditions, whether it’s celebrating the first snow of the year, or an annual barbecue the last night of summer
- How to make every moment between work and school worthwhile, from conversation starters for dinner that night, to inexpensive weekend activities for the entire family
- Important conversations to have before sending the kids off to college and how to address what are typically difficult topics
Colleagues have described this book as a ‘must read’ and ‘wonderfully written.’