Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired

Top positive review

I feel great starting the new year with this new wisdom for parenting!

January 11, 2020

I love this book. As the mother of five year old twins, I find this book encouraging, eye-opening and super-practical in its advice. As soon as I read the welcome and first chapter, I got that warm glow of recognition that this is powerful, sound, supportive wisdom. The authors do a great job of explaining the science and grounding their advice in the reality of parenting today, which is stressful and overwhelming even when it's joyful and wonderful. I'm excited to show up for my kids more, every day. Thank you Dr. Siegel an Dr. Bryson!

8 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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LizFett

Vague information on repeat

January 15, 2020

While I think the authors are brilliant and definitely know their field, this book (after reading all their others) feels like it could have just been an article. Of the 232 pages, almost every page has bubbles repeating information and then entire pages with a picture that doesn’t quite seem necessary. Felt like these techniques were used to fill pages, because a lot of the information was repeated over and over. I’ve listened to podcasts these authors have been featured in and got just about all I needed to know from that book in a short round up. The book also focuses heavily on the past relationships of parents and how they were raised, while important didn’t really fit the title, for me. Would have enjoyed more specific scenarios and words to use in difficult situations, instead of vague examples or pointing to their other books. Not a bad book, just not terribly informative in my opinion, definitely not worthy of a full book and at $27 if purchased in a bookstore vs Amazon.

12 people found this helpful

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LizFett

Vague information on repeat

January 15, 2020

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

12 people found this helpful

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J Monsef

I feel great starting the new year with this new wisdom for parenting!

January 11, 2020

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

8 people found this helpful

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It’s so important to BE THERE!

October 14, 2019

Format: HardcoverVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )

I found this book incredibly interesting. I was able to read it and look at it from both an adult child perspective and that of a parent of four children. My parents were detached, but “History is not destiny”. I was able to make sense of childhood and that type of parenting. I remember wanting my own family to love and one that would love me and be there for me. I broke the cycle. I raised my children by being there. Not just a physical presence, but an emotional one as well. I wanted them to feel safe, soothed and secured. It was interesting to read that in this book! It was a choice I made many years ago. It’s nice to see it has made them all strong,
Successful and secure. Your past doesn’t define you, but there are ways to shape and mold your little people.
Excellent points throughout the book!

25 people found this helpful

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bestlife4me2x2

A very practical resource for families - intergenerational!!

January 22, 2020

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

As a parent of five sons and a grandparent of twelve grandchildren, I feel empowered after reading this book. It makes no difference how I was patented or how I parented, the authors offer a guide to how any family can improve their skills to allow their families to thrive.

2 people found this helpful

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Put down the phone and interact with your kid!

October 28, 2019

Format: HardcoverVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )

I have 6 kids, 3 adopted, and tend to read everything I can get my hands on. My oldest has reactive attachment disorder (want nightmares? Google that) so many books aren't helpful for her but usually I can find something of use in a book. Just the same, most books are quickly moved on to a friend, goodwill or the trash depending on how truly bad they are. This book will probably continue living on my shelf for a bit.
One of my big beefs right now as a parent, teacher and coach is that many of us are so INTO our phones that we don't or can't see our children. Nothing makes me crazier than going out for a nice dinner and be seated next to a family where everyone is engrossed in their phone. What's the point? So when I was offered this title I almost passed . . . I (Capital, bold, italicized) pay attention to my kids. I don't need that book.
BUT I was short on reading material, and maybe there's something there for me. So I requested it.
The book itself is well made -- strong binding, thick cover, thick pages. Print is clear and easy to read with illustrations and images that help drive the point home. The information included is interesting and easy to read while stimulating thought and consideration for your life and how your actions shape the adults your children will become. Basic chapters are broken into an introduction to attachment science, helping your child feel safe/seen/soothed and secure, and a conclusion. It allows the parent (regardless of your child's age) to consider how you were parented and you are parenting your own. Yes, as a parent of a child with an attachment disorder I have heard the majority of this information before. But it is a great reminder and many sections were presented in a unique way I haven't heard before. Do I think it will "cure" my eldest? Definitely not. But it will give me a reminder on the methods that will work well for her, and it certainly will benefit my other child as well.
The BEST part of this book was that there was no blame. So often people with children who have attachment issues are told (or feel like they're being told) that they are the problem. There was no discussion of how you are a lousy parent, just realistic advice to evaluate where you are now and move forward to a healthier future.

19 people found this helpful

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rippel

Excellent for parents

February 12, 2020

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This is by far the best book written for parents about what kids need the most. This is an excellent description of basic attachment and how important validating emotions is. I wish this was given out at every birth..

2 people found this helpful

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It's Just Me

Raising securely attached children benefits them for their entire life

October 11, 2019

Format: HardcoverVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )

Another exceptional book on parenting co-authored by Daniel J. Siegel! All of Dr. Siegel’s books are SO worth reading and they build on each other. It’s not a matter of picking the “best” one. They are all valuable.

This book focuses on the relationship between child and parent. There is extensive discussion of the overall relationship and the four attachment styles a child can have with each parent (secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized). The authors cover what these attachment styles are, how they are produced, and the positive or negative effects they have on the child (which are likely to persist for life, though not necessarily). The authors then cover the hows and whys of responding to your child in various situations. As the blurb says, these focus on interacting with your child in ways that make your child feel Safe, Seen, Soothed, and Secure.

I would note that any parent reading this book who recognizes themselves as having had an avoidant, ambivalent or disorganized attachment to a parent in their own childhood will likely benefit from this book. For a more in-depth look, focused on adults, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Jonice Webb’s two books “Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect” and “Running on Empty No More: Transform Your Relationships With Your Partner, Your Parents & Your Children”. Dr. Webb uses the term Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) to refer to raising children without enough attention to their inner emotional lives, resulting in one of the 3 types of insecure attachment (as covered in Siegal’s book).

But that’s JustMe.

10 people found this helpful

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Excellent resource for parents. Well researched and informative

November 5, 2019

Format: HardcoverVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )

The Power Of Showing Up is an excellent guide for parents. I have read a few other books from these authors and this one did not disappoint. This is a very organized book that is easy to follow and full of practical and useful information on the parent-child relationship as well as child development. After reading this book I have changed the way I view certain parenting situations with my kids, it really has been beneficial to me as a parent. I love their simple statement that you don’t have to be a perfect parent, just be present. It is so simple and yet can be so hard to implement.
In this book’s six chapters and conclusion, the authors take you through a variety of situations and show you how to be present and help your child feel safe, seen, soothed and secure. This book is very well researched and has science based solutions for parents to help their children become happy, secure and successful adults. I enjoyed the illustrations throughout the book as well.
Overall I am very happy with this book. My wife and I both enjoyed it and found it beneficial. I think the information the authors present is practical, useful and reliable. Thanks for reading this and please do let me know if this is helpful, feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions or would like to see new pictures and I will do my best to answer it. Thank you, cheers. Cass

8 people found this helpful

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Such a great book!

October 16, 2019

Format: HardcoverVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )

This is a really great book. There are 1000000 parenting books or blogs and people throwing advice or judgement. But this book is wonderful because it sets up immediately the fact that there is no perfect parenting. We all have bad days and make mistakes but that with helping create a strong relationship with your child it is OKAY! It helps point out different ways and benefits of dealing with fights or issues in different manners. I appreciate that this book doesn't have a superior tone or that if you aren't perfect you will ruin your kids forever. It also takes into appreciation that there is no 1 exact way since all kids are different!!

5 people found this helpful

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Encouragement for Parents

September 23, 2019

Format: HardcoverVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )

I can be so hard on myself as a parent trying to always think or do the right thing, which is impossible. I love Dr. Siegel and Dr. Bryson's work. They consistently have offered materials, books, and research to help families understand each other and grow together in a healthy dynamic without talking down to people or impress readers with difficult to understand ideas. In this book, ideas are broken down for the reader in ways that are easily accessible and applicable to a variety of situations. Empathy is demonstrated in how people operate, and how to identify the mechanics of the caregiver and child relationship. If you take the time to read this book, you will feel empowered because you will understand parts of what happens in our relationships in our families and how you can make choices with how you engage - making you a better caregiver. Most important, when I use the ideas presented in this book, I help create memories and learning experiences that are positive and that my daughter will remember for her lifetime.