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The Triumphant Child

I love to read, but these days I barely have time to do anything alone (and I do mean anything, Mamas, holla if you hear me!).

I was given a copy of The Triumphant Child: A Practical Guide for Raising Two, Three and Four Year Olds for review, and I was a little nervous about committing to reading a whole book.

I was happy to see that The Triumphant Child: A Practical Guide for Raising Two, Three and Four Year Olds is organized in a way that lends itself to skimming.

Each chapter is written by a different person, each one an expert on their given topic. Also peppered throughout the book are parent testimonials from “in the trenches” about what has worked for their child.

Chapter 1 is focused on the development of 2, 3, and 4 year olds and the corresponding milestones. What makes this chapter fun is the ideas for activities that parents can enjoy with kids at each age, and a list of recommended book titles for 2-4 year olds.

Chapter 2 touched on an area that I feel is a bit of a weakness for me: running a successful household through great communications, set rules, and consequences.

Chapter 3 gives insight into how routines built in to the daily schedule can circumvent behavioral issues and make life easier for your preschooler.

Chapter 4 is about challenging behavior and how you as a parent can best react to outbursts of negative emotion. We are definitely in the heart of this very unpleasant stage right now with Jojo, and I could use all of the advice I can get!

Chapter 5 shows parents how to help a child be resilient in the face of change. Change is difficult for people of all ages, whether it be something “big” like dealing with moving, death, or divorce, or something less earth-shattering, like starting preschool. I didn’t see a chapter about how to help a child spending several months away from one parent while they are in a different country. Maybe I need to write that one myself.

Chapter 6 is about fears and anxieties. This is another tiresome stage for me right now with Jojo. He isn’t afraid to sleep in the dark, but he is supposedly afraid to go in his room in the day time with the blinds closed. He says it is “dark” and he is scared. But it isn’t even dark! There is enough visibility to read a book! This boy is driving me crazy. I need to re-read the suggestions about what parents can do when responding preschool fears like the dark, strangers, or animals. Oh and Jojo is afraid of being “alone” in a room with the door open when I am one room away. Awesome. This just started recently.

Chapter 7 deals with kids and media. I am formerly of the “anti-screentime” camp, but Jojo is wearing me down as the years go by. And he is only 4.

Besides the usual advice about limiting screentime (computer, TV, and video games), I like that this chapter also touches on teaching your child to be media LITERATE, such as understanding that commercials are trying to make you want to buy something. I have sparked some discussions with Jojo when enticing commercials come on, just trying to discern how he views them.
The first one went something like this:
*watching commercial for some kind of flying fairy toy*
Me: Hey Jojo, do you know that this is a commercial, and it is about making you want to buy that toy?
Jojo: No.
Me: It is. Do you want that toy now?
Jojo: Yes.

Wow, that ad campaign was effective!

The Triumphant Child: A Practical Guide for Raising Two, Three and Four Year Olds has definitely given me some food for thought, and I’m glad I had the chance to check it out!

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