Little Things Long Remembered by Susan Newman, PhD Book Tour, Review and Giveaway

Book Synopsis:

As digital devices take over family life in subtle and seductive ways, what will happen to child development and family bonding when children spend more time with screens than they do at school or with their parents?

Life swirls at a hectic pace in most families today. That reality places a high premium on finding family time. Little Things Long Remembered: Making Your Children Feel Special Every Day, is updated for today's digitally driven and time-strapped families, offering hundreds of easy ways to create treasured childhood rituals that your children will look back on fondly.

The book hinges on 10 Cardinal Rules designed to help parents let go of work or social obligations and commit to spending time with their children. Rules include:

At home, focus as much as possible on your kids.
Put away electronic devices so you can really ‘be’ with them
Choose activities you like; children can tell when you are not having fun and are ‘faking it.’

Little Things Long Remembered is designed to help maximize parents and children’s available time. Slow down to grab pockets of time—even a few minutes here and there.

Establishing Ties (gestures that take seconds or a minute or two to strengthen parent-child bonds)
Five Minutes More or Less
Half and Hour to an Hour or So
Weekend Fun
Special Circumstances — When You Travel
Special Circumstances — Sick Days
Special Days — Happy Holidays
Special Days — Memorable Birthdays

Readers are encouraged to pick and choose to match their needs and their children’s ages and personalities. The time you spend with children and what readers choose to embrace from within these pages will become as memorable and meaningful to parents as they will be to children.

Interview;  3 Partners would like to thank author Susan Newman for spending time with us today

 

What made you write a book about creating memories with children?

I had a fun, memorable childhood. My mother did amazingly things with my brother and me. As an adult, I married a man with four children; I had such a good time repeating some of what my mother did and dreaming up new things that I wanted to share them.

How long did it take to write Little Things Long Remembered?

The book was decades in the making and during a time when there was less distraction, fewer scheduled activities for children and less pull for time from electronic devices. I also asked friends what they remembered from their childhoods and what they did with their children.

This is an updated edition. How come?

The need is greater today than when I wrote the book originally more than 20 years ago. It has been updated to account for the many changes in family life. Digital devices are eating up what used to be family time.

I feel strongly that there is a need to go back to basics—to the things that made previous generations happy. This new edition was also, in part, sparked by the research showing the negative effects of “screens” on family bonds.

Why is filling children’s memory banks so important now?

We live in a digital age and many parents and children are absorbed in their devices, often starting at a very young age. When you factor in parents and children’s packed schedules, little time is left for family. Little Things…shows parents how to make memories in whatever time they have—be it a few seconds for gestures, five minutes or half an hour, during holidays and so forth.

Some of your ideas seem obvious. Why are they unique?

That is true, but we all need reminders now and then of what we loved as children. Most of the suggestions have a twist that makes them more likely to be memorable. For example, hugging and kissing a child hello and goodbye is obvious. Most parents do that. But, when you turn it into a “designer kiss,” it becomes special. Who knew that if you name your kitchen counter “Mom’s diner” or you celebrate your child’s half-birthday, that those kinds of easy “tweaks” become very significant to your child and special to the whole family.

You can find more about Little Things Long Remembered and Susan’s work at her website or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Author's Bio:

Susan Newman, a social psychologist, specializes in child development and family dynamics and has been named one of the 100 Top Psychologists to Follow on Twitter as well as one of 25 Parenting Educators to follow. She has been blogging for Psychology Todaymagazine about parenting and issues related to raising children for over six years: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/singletons.

She has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, and her work has been feature on NPR and major leading newspapers and magazines.

Connect with Susan:  Website  ~  Facebook  ~ Twitter

Where to buy the book:

Amazon

My review;

I just finished reading "Little Things Remembered and I found it to be a great book for anyone to read who has children, is a caregiver, teacher or someone who has interaction with children. Sometimes all of us need a little push in the right direction. I know that these things would make anyone have a great day. I give this book a 4/5. I was given this book for the purpose of a review and all opinions are my own.






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