Momma Cusses: A Field Guide to Responsive Parenting and Trying Not to Be the Reason Your Kid Needs Therapy

Childproof podcaster Laithland aims in her energetic debut to reframe “gentle parenting” as “responsive parenting,” because “putting a diaper on a refuses-to-potty-train toddler while they show you what a crocodile looks like in a death roll” is decidedly not gentle. The pillars of responsive parenting, Laithland explains, are giving children “as much autonomy... as is safe” and teaching them “what they are feeling, that those feelings are okay, and healthy ways to handle those feelings.” Strategies to help children regulate their emotions during tantrums include standard breathing techniques (inhaling, holding one’s breath, and exhaling for four seconds each) as well as sillier suggestions (distracting kids by making “lip farts”). Laithland warns parents that at some point “you will lose your shit on your kids” and suggests that while such outbursts may cause “Mom Guilt” (“that little bit of your brain that remembers every godforsaken mistake you’ve ever made... as a parent”), the feeling should be embraced because it provides motivation to improve one’s parenting. The humor lands and the guidance on setting boundaries, helping children identify their needs, and letting them fail safely is a boon. This will be a balm for weary parents. Agent: Wendy Sherman and Callie Deitrick, Wendy Sherman Assoc. (Mar.)