2 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Drop Everything And Read: Week 2
Day 3
Date: 31 March, Saturday
Time: 7-7:10, 8:10 to 8:20pm
Books: The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron and Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina
I finished the former but I'm trying to sum up what I've learned and I'm coming up blank. I feel like my mind went through it like a sieve through water. This is one of those books you are never really done with. I think I need to reread while taking notes, then reread my notes. The takeaway is that to be kind to others you at first have to learn to be kind to yourself. Towards the end of the book it moved to topics that made me uncomfortable, that I still couldn't accept, like learning to make peace with impermanence and even death, and not allowing yourself to aim for personal comfort. I am clearly not brave or have a "warrior" spirit that's supposed to continually break out of that complacency. Ah well.
Also just a heads up, I thought I still had more chapters to go but the book itself ended at the 85% mark, then the rest were Notes, Bibliography and an excerpt of another book. So it's like the feeling when you think a glass is full and you lift it up braced for that weight, but turns out it's almost empty so your hand shoots up in the air faster than you intended it to. iykwim.
With Brain Rules I got through one chapter while in the bathroom hehe. I actually have a small piece of paper taped onto the back of my Kindle, and brought a cheap pen with me so I can make notes like starting and stopping time and any summaries. Current topic is about whether morals are innate to children. I'm in the part talking about discipline and positive reinforcement. One thing I learned is that it says not to just tell a child "No!" but include a reason why, and studies show this increases compliance. And of course implementing swift punishment, but noting that punishment sometimes takes the form of not giving them attention. And to praise not just good behavior, but also the absence of bad behavior, e.g. "You did that all by yourself with no fuss!" You know, classic Psych stuff. But always good to hear again until it becomes second nature to think of that in the heat of a disciplinary situation, while praying for patience. Fun fact: "by 4 a kid will lie once every 2 hours. By 6, once every 90 minutes." Yep, not looking forward to the terrible toddler years and beyond. I suddenly appreciate that my eggo can't lie to me yet, because, you know, he still can't talk lol.
Comment by [deleted] at 31/03/2018 at 21:39 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Brain Rules is interesting. I wonder if there are any books on women who are not fond of kids for most of their lives (like me) but are planning to become parents.