Stuff Every Dad Should Know and The Art of Roughhousing Book Review

I was recently sent Stuff Every Dad Should Know by Brett Cohen and The Art of Roughhousing by Anthony Benedet & Lawrence Cohen, when I read the info about them they both sounded interesting.

Now I know it says Stuff Every Dad Should Know but the information still applies to mums and both me and my husband enjoyed reading it.

The book is split in to different areas, Baby Stuff, Little Kid Stuff, Big Kid Stuff, Teen Stuff and Beyond, it offers a very tongue in cheek view into the world of parenting.

Each section is split into a small paragraph and several bullet points and covers everything from how to hold and change a baby to childproofing your home, potty training and how to keep kids entertained on days out.

Although some of the wording is Americanised it is still easy to understand and as a gift for a new parent I would highly recommend it. I did actually buy my husband a how to be a dad book when I was pregnant which he did read and I am sure helped him in those early days.

Stuff Every Dad Should Know is small and compact and looks very stylish, the RRP is only £6.99 so it doesn't break the bank either.

There is still plenty to read for us in the future with tips on how to help your child ride a bike and talking about the birds and bees, so this is a book that will see you through many years of parenthood.

The next book is The Art of Roughhousing, I had never heard of the term roughhousing before seeing this book but when you see what it is it all makes sense.

In a time where we tend to wrap our children up in cotton wool this book is encouraging you to swing, chuck and generally be rough with your children (obviously without harming them).

The book has some bold claims that roughhousing makes children, 'smarter', 'more likeable' and 'builds emotional intelligence', which does makes sense when you read the book. Children are so mollycoddled these days they seem to have no awareness of how to deal with other children.

The book explores how encouraging rough play enables children to better understand other children and adults. The book looks at how 'in good roughhousing parents respond to rule breaking or excess aggression not penalize it. This allows for the opportunity to make a mistake without fear of punishment, everyone learns better that way'.

I love chasing my son around the house and we always play hide and seek with a bit of tickling or pillow fighting afterwards. Incorporating some of these 'roughhousing' techniques will be perfect for burning up some left over energy as well as helping to build confidence and co-ordination.

Some of the moves are familiar some not so much but either way I love the book and it is well worth a read.

I remember coming down the stairs on cushions when I was a child with my two cousins and brother, I never felt unsafe or a fear of hurting myself and it probably helped me be a bit tougher.

I particularly like the Magic Carpet Ride and will have to try this with my four year old son very soon!

I have really enjoyed The Art of Roughhousing and would definitely recommend for a parent who is interested in getting children to be a bit more rough and tumble.

NB We were given books for the purpose of this review, all opinions are my own.

Depression, a family affair!

So I woudn't normally write two blog posts in a day, afterall i'm a busy lady right, but I really needed to get this out of my head and into words, I am sorry if it goes on and if you manage to read all of it thank you.

I have suffered with depression for many years, probably since I was about 11, the exact moment was when I went to secondary school. I was put into a form with none of my friends, I was lonely and a target for the class bullies.

I started not eating and when I did eat I ate very little, then at about 13 I found that cutting myself gave me a sense of joy. From the outside it all sounds very silly and if you haven't ever done it you really cannot understand the feeling you get from seeing your wrists cut and the pain from cutting them.

I remember once finding a bit of long grass stuff that was quite sharp and I whipped it joyfully across my arms till they were covered in little two or three inch cuts, so many that people noticed and I had to be more careful but it was a great feeling at the time.

Anyway to cut a long story short, I spent the rest of my teenage years cutting and scratching myself in times of upset (which sadly there were a lot of).

At about 15 I fell 'in love' and had a steady boyfriend but towards the end of relationship when we grew apart and he started going out with other women behind my back I started hitting myself in the head. Don't ask why but I would just hit myself in the head, maybe hoping I would kill myself I don't really know!

I did this up until I found the miracle contraceptive pill that changed me, I became chilled and pretty much anger free until after I had my son.

I was diagnosed with post natal depression about four months after my son was born, after a traumatic birth and a very ill husband I had pretty much had enough and would think about how I would end it all (apparently the way in which I would do it is normally a man's way out, thanks I think) . However, I knew my son needed me and I decided to get help and was put on anti-depressants and saw a community support nurse every other week.

So why all the sudden am I thinking about this, well I went to see my mum today and she said she thinks she's depressed. This makes me so sad, so sad I am sat here with tears streaming down my face, I love her and know how it feels to be stuck in the despair of depression and I don't want her to feel this way.

My dad also suffers with depression (which I found out shortly after I had been put on antidepressants after having my son), yet he doesn't seem to have noticed she seems down and this makes me so flipping sad.

I had my husband to confide in and although he really didn't seem to understand at least I could cry at him and get all the crap filling my head out into the open.

Gosh I hate this illness, I mean I really hate it! The mind is such a complicated thing and I really hope my children don't suffer from it, my grandpa on my dads side was 'commited' but whether it is nature or nurture I have no idea.

All I can do is be there for my children and help them if they need me, sadly my parents although lovely and I'd do anything for them, they literally had no idea how to help me through depression. I once stood in the kitchen so angry at being bullied that I grabbed a knife and held it to my wrist in in a fit of anger. My dad said 'go on then do it' , this takes tough love to the extreme and I hope he can be more use to my mum and I to my children.

Thanks if you made it this far, I just needed somewhere to vent this.