Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-26 08:54:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Lisa M. Ross
- ISBN：0345507983
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Today’s busier， faster society is waging an undeclared war on childhood。 With too much stuff， too many choices， and too little time， children can become anxious， have trouble with friends and school， or even be diagnosed with behavioral problems。 Now internationally renowned family consultant Kim John Payne helps parents reclaim for their children the space and freedom that all kids need for their attention to deepen and their individuality to flourish。 Simplicity Parenting offers inspiration， ideas， and a blueprint for change:
• Streamline your home environment。 Reduce the amount of toys， books， and clutter—as well as the lights， sounds， and general sensory overload。
• Establish rhythms and rituals。 Discover ways to ease daily tensions， create battle-free mealtimes and bedtimes， and tell if your child is overwhelmed。
• Schedule a break in the schedule。 Establish intervals of calm and connection in your child’s daily torrent of constant doing。
• Scale back on media and parental involvement。 Manage your children’s “screen time” to limit the endless deluge of information and stimulation。
A manifesto for protecting the grace of childhood， Simplicity Parenting is an eloquent guide to bringing new rhythms to bear on the lifelong art of raising children。
• Streamline your home environment。 Reduce the amount of toys， books， and clutter—as well as the lights， sounds， and general sensory overload。
• Establish rhythms and rituals。 Discover ways to ease daily tensions， create battle-free mealtimes and bedtimes， and tell if your child is overwhelmed。
• Schedule a break in the schedule。 Establish intervals of calm and connection in your child’s daily torrent of constant doing。
• Scale back on media and parental involvement。 Manage your children’s “screen time” to limit the endless deluge of information and stimulation。
A manifesto for protecting the grace of childhood， Simplicity Parenting is an eloquent guide to bringing new rhythms to bear on the lifelong art of raising children。
Reviews
Sarah
，
I really， really liked this book。 It’s definitely not a “I can’t put this down” sort of book， but I found it super insightful as I’ve been mulling over what it means to cultivate an environment in my home so that I want to be here！ I think our culture has really pushed the idea of “you’ve got to get out of your house， you need to take your kids to go DO something” when really， one of our jobs as Christian women is to take care of our home and make our homes a place where our children feel secure I really， really liked this book。 It’s definitely not a “I can’t put this down” sort of book， but I found it super insightful as I’ve been mulling over what it means to cultivate an environment in my home so that I want to be here！ I think our culture has really pushed the idea of “you’ve got to get out of your house， you need to take your kids to go DO something” when really， one of our jobs as Christian women is to take care of our home and make our homes a place where our children feel secure and happy。 And they can’t feel that way if we are never here！This is a secular book so I would not agree with all of the conclusions the author makes but I think if you read with discernment， this book could help you make some really impactful changes if you’re considering a “simpler life”。 。。。more
Hope Garfield
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4。5/5
Stephen
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I seldom use design considerations as reasons not to like a book， but Simplicity Parenting suffers from two issues。 First of all， there's not much you can gather about the book just by glancing at the chapter titles。Apart from the very sparse outline， it is heavy reading and the worse thing is， it looks the part。 It took me many weeks to finish it as some parts of the book reads like a repetitive， extended monologue。 You will need a certain determination to plough through the missive。Sure， there I seldom use design considerations as reasons not to like a book， but Simplicity Parenting suffers from two issues。 First of all， there's not much you can gather about the book just by glancing at the chapter titles。Apart from the very sparse outline， it is heavy reading and the worse thing is， it looks the part。 It took me many weeks to finish it as some parts of the book reads like a repetitive， extended monologue。 You will need a certain determination to plough through the missive。Sure， there are plenty of good stuff， but they're all over the place。 。。。more
Gabrielle Salgado
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As a parent， I feel overwhelmed by the complicated schedules and rigid lifestyle。 The “modern” parent is a parent that does not appeal to me。 Reading this book opened my eyes to the parent I want to be and told me precise ways to become that version of myself。 Simplification is not just a process， it’s a mindset and lifestyle。
Jennifer
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Might come back to it。。。not really holding my interest as it’s somewhat meandering。
Devon
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Wow。 For a book that has a whole chapter dedicated to “saying less” it sure went on and on！ I know it’s time I step back from this genre when my beef is and continues to be that authors know parents are stressed and time-poor， so why not condense their material？ Even a bit？！There are valuable lessons here。 I loved the Kondo-esque ethos and recos around reducing toys。 I also thought the idea of separating adult versus child worlds and conversations was eye opening， especially the idea that excess Wow。 For a book that has a whole chapter dedicated to “saying less” it sure went on and on！ I know it’s time I step back from this genre when my beef is and continues to be that authors know parents are stressed and time-poor， so why not condense their material？ Even a bit？！There are valuable lessons here。 I loved the Kondo-esque ethos and recos around reducing toys。 I also thought the idea of separating adult versus child worlds and conversations was eye opening， especially the idea that excess news media needs to be reconsidered。 It’s funny too - back to the “talk less” idea - that pediatricians are telling us to narrate to support language development， but then here we are overdoing it。 Truly， one is left feeling they can’t win。I started to feel a sense of panic from the hard lines this book draws。 So I give it a solid three stars， and trust that if this was instead a short series of blog posts， I’d grant it at least one and a half more。 。。。more
Cate
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This。 All of this。 Yep， this is what we're doing， what we're going to do， what we will do。 Great for the kiddo， but even better for me as a parent too。 This。 All of this。 Yep， this is what we're doing， what we're going to do， what we will do。 Great for the kiddo， but even better for me as a parent too。 。。。more
Lauren Hillman
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Bottles down to。。。 simplicity， balance。。。 talk less， have less， watch less tv。 Probably would have figured that out if I’d read the title correctly and not assumed for the entire book that I was reading something called Simply Parenting。 As an audio book the narrators voice put me to sleep a lot。 I retained very little if what I read， and it was also not what I was looking for in reality。 I wanted more on early life。 Babies and such。
Joanna
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Helpful concepts， but the thought of putting all of it into practice is a bit overwhelming。
Anna
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Could be much more succinct。 I find value in the premise laid out， but in illustrating their points it comes across as sanctimonious and became hard to continue listening to。
Colleen
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"Our families are being built on the four pillars of too much: Too much stuff， too many choices， too much information， and too fast。 Rescue their childhood from stress。" "Our families are being built on the four pillars of too much: Too much stuff， too many choices， too much information， and too fast。 Rescue their childhood from stress。" 。。。more
Heather
，
A lot of the ideas in the book really resounded with me。 I like how he talks about simplifying in ways beyond just the stuff in my home i。e。 routines， activities， even conversations and ideas our kids are exposed to。 I’ve implemented a fair amount from this and already see a difference for our home and my daughter。
Mythili
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This is a funny book to read a year into a pandemic。 Covid has made life and parenting so much simpler and so much more complicated。 I enjoyed this book a lot—even if Payne is a bit pedantic at times and Rudolf Steiner weirds me out。 The lockdowns have brought the kinds of rituals and routines Payne praises into sharp focus。 On that count， we’re doing great。 But school closures and the destruction of basically anything like a real social life have also made us wildly more reliant on screens—some This is a funny book to read a year into a pandemic。 Covid has made life and parenting so much simpler and so much more complicated。 I enjoyed this book a lot—even if Payne is a bit pedantic at times and Rudolf Steiner weirds me out。 The lockdowns have brought the kinds of rituals and routines Payne praises into sharp focus。 On that count， we’re doing great。 But school closures and the destruction of basically anything like a real social life have also made us wildly more reliant on screens—something Payne does not approve of。 Our screen use would disgust him， I’m sure。 I like reading parenting books for affirmation that I’m doing a good job and overall this one supplied just that: It made me realize that all things considered， we’ve weathered his strange time reasonably well。 What I really liked， though， is Payne’s belief that parenting is an imaginative act。 Imagination doesn’t get much credit as a parenting tool or ingredient of home life but he’s right—it should。 。。。more
Emily
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Inspiring！ I’ll be recommending this book to other parents and passing this beautiful， essential book along。 I’ll also be returning to my copy to read again in the future， I’m certain。
Katey
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Meh。 Nothing really new in here。 Be consistent; less is more; shelter appropriately。The one thing that really spoke to me was around how if one item brings joy， then we tend to think more of the same will bring more joy。 So， one loved teddy bear = three more teddy bears to love， but it doesn't work that way。 I'm definitely guilty of this train of thought， though my son's love of cars seems to disprove it。。。 Meh。 Nothing really new in here。 Be consistent; less is more; shelter appropriately。The one thing that really spoke to me was around how if one item brings joy， then we tend to think more of the same will bring more joy。 So， one loved teddy bear = three more teddy bears to love， but it doesn't work that way。 I'm definitely guilty of this train of thought， though my son's love of cars seems to disprove it。。。 。。。more
Alli Roper
，
Hands down in my top two favorite parenting books。 It gives you permission to have a simpler life and not feel so much stress to do all the things and have all the things and give your child everything。 So many good thoughts and principles to live by， and I enjoyed reading it。 Will revisit often。 Principles I especially liked: - rhythms and rituals - simplifying toys （more is not more） - the concept of a soul fever （this was a beautiful concept to me） - is it true？ Kind？ Necessary？ Secure？ - bei Hands down in my top two favorite parenting books。 It gives you permission to have a simpler life and not feel so much stress to do all the things and have all the things and give your child everything。 So many good thoughts and principles to live by， and I enjoyed reading it。 Will revisit often。 Principles I especially liked: - rhythms and rituals - simplifying toys （more is not more） - the concept of a soul fever （this was a beautiful concept to me） - is it true？ Kind？ Necessary？ Secure？ - being the adult - talking less and requesting less; stepping up to be a leader and guide for children （vertical vs horizontal relationships） My only beef with it is that he does repeat himself quite often and that got a little annoying。 But I read it over the span of a few weeks， so in some sense， the repetition was nice。 。。。more
Anya Stork
，
Kim John Payne dissects the challenges that contemporary parents deal with in the face of mass media culture。 His examples include American children having PTSDs （from TV/violence watching） at the same levels as those children in African countries who live in a war zone。。。 Those are shocking examples， all based on international research， which Kim cites。 The book targets early childhood education through middle school years。 Another challenge example is uncluttering your child's room and keepi Kim John Payne dissects the challenges that contemporary parents deal with in the face of mass media culture。 His examples include American children having PTSDs （from TV/violence watching） at the same levels as those children in African countries who live in a war zone。。。 Those are shocking examples， all based on international research， which Kim cites。 The book targets early childhood education through middle school years。 Another challenge example is uncluttering your child's room and keeping it very simple， with themed "stations" （theatrical play， some books， toys made of natural material rather than plastic）。 His advice includes reducing the amount of toys in the room to avoid sensory over-stimulation and keeping your child focused to support their natural process of imagination。 I found a great deal of useful advice in this book！ For instance， alternating your child's toys can be very useful。 All of this depends on the child's age， of course。 What a great advice to a modern parent！ I also saw Kim speak on the subject of "simplicity parenting" at our school。 His simplicity approach makes sense。 Though the challenge itself is in opposing the mass global media culture - Kim's practical conclusion， based on many years of his teaching experience， it can be done。 。。。more
Corissa
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Really good。 A lot of what I feel like our family is moving more and more towards， but gave some good practicals。 Pg 10What has also become increasingly clear to me is that so much of this stress is what we now call daily life。 It is the life that surrounds our children， a daily life that is unfortunately not that distinct from those we lead as adults。 A daily life submerged in the same media-rich， multi-tasking， complex， information-overloaded， time-pressured waters as our own。 pg 73Good though Really good。 A lot of what I feel like our family is moving more and more towards， but gave some good practicals。 Pg 10What has also become increasingly clear to me is that so much of this stress is what we now call daily life。 It is the life that surrounds our children， a daily life that is unfortunately not that distinct from those we lead as adults。 A daily life submerged in the same media-rich， multi-tasking， complex， information-overloaded， time-pressured waters as our own。 pg 73Good thoughts on toys that inspire corrosive play。 I've always felt uneasy when my kids play with guns， or even a "simple" game of cops and robbers。 This helped me feel more comfortable standing firm in what is best for our family。 pg 110Simplification establishes an unspoken emphasis on relationship。 By eschewing some of the distractions that could easily consume our time and attention-media， activities， and stuff- we leave our emotional door open for our loved ones。 pg 151Ive seen how loading up a childs days with events and activities from morning to night can dig a developmental groove in their beings。 It can establish a reliance， a favoring of external stimulation over emotional activity。 A child with a room full of toys has been set up to be dissatisfied。 Theyve been programmed to imagine that pleasure depends on toys， and that the next one might be better than the rest。 pg 190Kids as young as kindergarten age are hearing， over juice and crackers， about shrinking rainforests and oil reserves。 In their concern， and remarkable ability to drink in information， many very young kids hold a precocious awareness of huge issues。 But is that helpful to them？pg 214When it isnt governed by the drumbeat of "more"， your home will be a calmer place。 It will be a testament to "enough"。 But surely "enough" is disappointing， and just plain boring compared to the abundance of "more"？ The question is fair， and it's the most common reaction parents have as they ponder a mountain of toys they need to reduce to a molehill of beloved keepers。 Wont the kids be devastated？ Generally， no。 With fewer choices， there is freedom to appreciate things- and one another-more deeply。 。。。more
Emmy Williams
，
If I were to summarize this book it would go like this。 “You too can have great well balanced kids by changing everything you do！” Look。 I like the concept of less toys more experiences。 Less screen time more quality time。 But I’m also raising a wild high energy kid in the thick of it and I am tired。 I don’t care if the pjs she’s wearing are natural fibers sometimes I’m just happy she’s got pants on。 Sometimes Mickey Mouse clubhouse means that I don’t have to be ‘on’ and I think that is probably If I were to summarize this book it would go like this。 “You too can have great well balanced kids by changing everything you do！” Look。 I like the concept of less toys more experiences。 Less screen time more quality time。 But I’m also raising a wild high energy kid in the thick of it and I am tired。 I don’t care if the pjs she’s wearing are natural fibers sometimes I’m just happy she’s got pants on。 Sometimes Mickey Mouse clubhouse means that I don’t have to be ‘on’ and I think that is probably ok。 I know that Waldorf and simplicity is counter culture but I wish there was a little more flexibility to acknowledge the world we live in。 I am glad I read the book。 I do intend to be intentional about toys and time。 I just suggest readers of this book use critical thinking and apply what works for you and ignore the rest。 To me it feels a bit like a huge list of shoulds rather than an empowering text that builds the parents up。 。。。more
Reagan Kapasi
，
A good reminder to not talk too much， simplify the physical space as well as family routines， and the importance of manners
Aneesa
，
Pausing on page 120。 To be honest， I don't think my parenting could have gotten more simple even before the shutdown。 Pausing on page 120。 To be honest， I don't think my parenting could have gotten more simple even before the shutdown。 。。。more
Ali
，
I really enjoyed this book。 I already agreed with the premise and I found it oddly comforting and not too repetitive to read this book。 Kim John Payne writes that the key to a less stressful household is to simplify - objects （namely toys）， words and schedules。 Less is more when it come to engaging in deep play and finding enjoyment in life。 I liked the suggestion to incorporate the use of a candle at some point in the day。 We haven’t done that yet but I think we will。 I also liked the affirmati I really enjoyed this book。 I already agreed with the premise and I found it oddly comforting and not too repetitive to read this book。 Kim John Payne writes that the key to a less stressful household is to simplify - objects （namely toys）， words and schedules。 Less is more when it come to engaging in deep play and finding enjoyment in life。 I liked the suggestion to incorporate the use of a candle at some point in the day。 We haven’t done that yet but I think we will。 I also liked the affirmation that fewer toys allows for more creativity and deeper play。 Ironically I found myself feeling anxious toward the end of the book as I read about simplifying words。 I started to worry “am I talking too much to my 6 month old？！” And I don’t know。 But I do know that times when I am silent are okay and won’t inhibit her learning to speak。 I enjoyed this book and recommend it。 。。。more
Allison
，
I picked up this parenting book as a follow-up suggestion from "How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids" but， after a couple chapters， I decided it just wasn't for me。"How to Stop -" was great because it was genuine and recognized that all parents have days when they are just done or are emotionally spent。 "Simplicity Parenting" could make you feel like an awful parent for sitting your kid down to watch a tv show so that you can have a few moments to yourself。 I appreciated that "How to Stop I picked up this parenting book as a follow-up suggestion from "How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids" but， after a couple chapters， I decided it just wasn't for me。"How to Stop -" was great because it was genuine and recognized that all parents have days when they are just done or are emotionally spent。 "Simplicity Parenting" could make you feel like an awful parent for sitting your kid down to watch a tv show so that you can have a few moments to yourself。 I appreciated that "How to Stop - " valued self-care as a means to take better care of your kids and to be a better/calmer parent。 I get the underlying message of "Simplicity Parenting" - that if we simplify our lives that our kids will have better childhoods - and I agree with it。 But also， do what you have to do to take care of your needs and have a balance in your household。 You don't have to remove every television in your house in order to have less background noise and news sources。 You don't have to remove every toy that makes noise because it isn't open-ended enough or perfect enough for your child to have a perfect childhood。 Perfect is an illusion。 Put this book down and just pick up "How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids" instead。 。。。more
Brie
，
Best parenting book I have ever read。 Not only did it help with my parenting but it also changed how I plan to go forward in my own life and reminded me of what I want to focus on as a person。
Julia Shumway
，
It was good， but longer than it needed to be to get a fairly simple （ha） point across。 I'd recommend a few episodes of the podcast to get more specific insight。 It was good， but longer than it needed to be to get a fairly simple （ha） point across。 I'd recommend a few episodes of the podcast to get more specific insight。 。。。more
Courtney Clark
，
I read this book for the first time well over a decade ago and it was incredibly formative。 I picked it up again because I was curious to find out if it still holds water， 6 kids and quite a bit of experience later。I don't know what to say。 I was surprised at how Waldorf inspired it is， since my dalliance with Waldorf was very short lived。 But the basic tenets that children need less stuff， less unpredictability， less scheduled activities， and less worldly information are still pretty much the p I read this book for the first time well over a decade ago and it was incredibly formative。 I picked it up again because I was curious to find out if it still holds water， 6 kids and quite a bit of experience later。I don't know what to say。 I was surprised at how Waldorf inspired it is， since my dalliance with Waldorf was very short lived。 But the basic tenets that children need less stuff， less unpredictability， less scheduled activities， and less worldly information are still pretty much the pillars of my parenting style。 Still in my top three parenting books of all time。 。。。more
Judi
，
Payne has years of experience as a family counselor and he shares his insights on how families who have lost control can regain it。 He points out that more is not necessarily better and that parents need to take greater control over what comes into the home - both physically and media-wise。There is a lot of good in this text。 But， taken to the extreme， it seems that followers of Kim John Payne would allow their children 5 toys， 5 books， and 0 screens。 While might work for a select few families， Payne has years of experience as a family counselor and he shares his insights on how families who have lost control can regain it。 He points out that more is not necessarily better and that parents need to take greater control over what comes into the home - both physically and media-wise。There is a lot of good in this text。 But， taken to the extreme， it seems that followers of Kim John Payne would allow their children 5 toys， 5 books， and 0 screens。 While might work for a select few families， I wonder how the vast majority of families would fare。 One must take Payne's advice and seriously consider how it fits with their family。 The sections on routine and the responsibility of parents to be in charge rang true to me - a parent of two "launched" adults and grandparent of a babe。If you pick up this book be sure to remind yourself there are as many ways to build a successful family as there are families。 Be the adult in charge and assess the text to determine what may apply to your home and let the rest go。 。。。more
Danie Williams-Rivera
，
This would have probably affected me more if we weren't in the middle of a pandemic。 Because the world went on hold last year and everything really abruptly slowed down， it read a lot different than it would have if I read it earlier - when life was crazy and busy and hard to slow down。 Generally good advice and good focus on keeping life simpler and calmer for family and kids。 This would have probably affected me more if we weren't in the middle of a pandemic。 Because the world went on hold last year and everything really abruptly slowed down， it read a lot different than it would have if I read it earlier - when life was crazy and busy and hard to slow down。 Generally good advice and good focus on keeping life simpler and calmer for family and kids。 。。。more
CaryAnne Hart
，
4。5！
Laramie White
，