Dr. Laura Markham is a clinical psychologist turned parenting coach and author who promotes a relationship-based model of parenting. Dr. Laura’s book Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting supports parents to manage their own emotions, both to deal mindfully with a distressed child and to teach the child successful emotional regulation by modeling.
She takes the controversial position that parents need to move “beyond discipline” because punishment erodes the parent child bond, instead setting limits with empathy, focusing on connecting with the child, and coaching for emotional intelligence, all of which help children want to cooperate. She frequently quotes the Dalai Lama: “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
The Aha Parenting! web site based on the work of Dr. Laura Markham provides easy to read information on the “ages and stages” of child development beginning with pregnancy and birth, tips on parenting and an archive of her radio shows on parenting. Here’s a link to the latest entry of her parenting blog: