Parenting Anxious Kids - Book Release
I’m so thrilled to share the news that Parenting Anxious Kids: Understanding Child Anxiety by Age and Stage was released! Though this isn’t my first book, it’s the book that I’ve dreamt about writing since before I wrote books. I’ve literally had a version of this proposal saved on my laptop for the past decade.
When my daughters were younger, I read a lot of parenting books. There was always so much to learn about a child’s physical development - what to feed them, advice about sleep, medicine, vaccination, growth, and on and on.
On the mental health side, there’s not nearly as much information, especially as children grow.
Sure, there’s always a paragraph or chapter about socialization, anxiety, and depression, but it’s not as comprehensive. I thought, hey, that’s a gap I can fill! I wrote this book for parents who know their children are anxious but don’t know what to do about it, but I also wrote it for parents who aren’t sure their child is anxious and want to read more about what anxiety might look like throughout their lives.
One quick example: I noticed that anxiety comes up in kids and their parents around food. Many kids are picky eaters, and many parents have no idea how to handle eating. One giant wrench in this cycle is that parents don’t even know what an appropriate serving size for their child even is! (Hint: it’s not the serving size on the side of the box). In the toddler chapter of Parenting Anxious Kids, we talk about setting you and your child up for food success to prevent problems before they start, including knowing how much they should actually be eating. To be clear, not all picky eaters are anxious, and not all anxious kids are picky eaters, but to make decisions about your child and their anxiety, you need to know the right information (and here’s an adorable graphic from the book).
A bit more of the backstory: When I started working as a psychologist 15 years ago, I mostly saw kids and teens without their parents. I was always a strong believer in parent participation in therapy, but I would work with a child, and then bring a parent in at the end of session to fill them in and help them support their child or teen throughout the week.
The pandemic changed my perspective – a lot.
Zoom just didn’t work for some kids, and I got to see into the lives of my patients in their homes. I realized there was a missing piece: the parents!
Parenting children with anxiety is not intuitive, and doesn’t come with a guidebook.
The skills I discuss in this book - based on years of evidence, are meant to teach parents what we know about raising anxious kids. This book is designed to give parents a set of techniques to empower them to help their children. It’s also meant to grow with your child: anxiety doesn’t look the same in a toddler and a teen, and so Part 2 of this book breaks up anxiety with a chapter on each stage of development, from toddler to emerging adult.
So, here’s the practical piece: the book is available now.
And finally! If you’re part of a school, book club, or have a random group of friends who want to talk about my book - I’d be happy to set something up in the coming months, so be in touch - send a message to office@longislandbehavioral.com