Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 184
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-5381-1242-7 • Hardback • March 2019 • $35.00 • (£30.00)
978-1-5381-8542-1 • Paperback • August 2023 • $20.00 • (£14.99)
978-1-5381-1243-4 • eBook • March 2019 • $33.00 • (£25.00)
Brittany Polat is a practicing Stoic, mother to three young children, and blogger who writes about Stoic family life. She is especially interested in exploring ways that Stoic principles can lead to a rich and rewarding life for parents and children. See more of her writing on her blog at apparentstoic.com
Part I
| Finding Tranquility
|
Chapter 1
| Developing a Parenting Philosophy
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Chapter 2
| Focusing on What You Can Control
|
Chapter 3
| Re-thinking Your Value Judgments
|
Chapter 4
| Engaging with Other People
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Chapter 5
| Teaching Your Child Virtue
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Chapter 6
| Enjoying Your Child
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Chapter 7
| Overcoming Your Anxiety
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Chapter 8
| Finding Tranquility
|
Part II
| Reference Section
|
Chapter 9
| Practicing Tranquility
|
Chapter 10
| Dealing with Difficult Situations
|
Polat, a practitioner of stoicism and creator of apparentstoic.com, draws on the philosophical school’s practical and relevant wisdom in a straightforward and lucidly presented primer on stoic parenting. She is careful to differentiate stoicism’s contemporary connotations—as referring to “someone who doesn’t show or even feel any emotion”—from the classical teachings of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, who prized “emotional tranquility in tough situations” and a logical approach to positive and negative emotions alike as a path to “lasting peace and happiness” not tied to material goods or fleeting emotions. Noting the Stoics were “master psychologists,” Polat finds their ideas applicable to “difficult situations” commonly encountered with children, including resistance to potty training, intra-sibling jealousy, and back talk to parents. In eight short chapters, Polat walks readers through giving up the need for control, rethinking value judgments, teaching children values, and in general becoming, in Seneca’s words, “cheerful, calm, and undisturbed.” While Polat’s work may not replace mindfulness with tranquility as the new self-care buzzword, it makes a good case for the applicability of an ancient intellectual tradition to modern child care.
— Publishers Weekly
This wonderful book will help you to maintain your equanimity in difficult situations, by showing you how to adopt a philosophical attitude toward parenting. One day your children will thank you for having read it!
— Donald Robertson, author of Stoicism and the Art of Happiness
Tranquility Parenting takes you on an introspective journey to discovering a clear and specific parenting philosophy that will help guide your actions with your child. This book offers strategies to build strong mental habits that will help you focus on what is in your control as a parent and give you the confidence and courage to make good judgments day in and day out.
— Douglas Haddad, award-winning educator and author of "The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens"
This unique contribution to parenting literature is a well-crafted compilation of the wisdom blogger Polat has gained as a parent and practicing Stoic. Readers who enjoy history and philosophy may appreciate the primer on Stoicism (both historical and contemporary) and enjoy applying tips such as Marcus Aurelius’ morning mantra to their own parenting lives. A main tenet of Stoicism is that one must be a good person to live a flourishing life, making it an easily relatable belief system. The stories and scenarios Polat includes from her own parenting experience are highly relevant. She tackles topics ranging from her reaction to a broken plate now versus how would have reacted before her philosophical shift, to scenarios for helping kids gain a perspective on judgment, criticism, and self-control. Finally, the chapter summaries and “Make It Your Own” takeaways encourage preemptive action (aka homework) that will at a minimum increase parents' level of tranquility and hopefully even solve some parenting angst in the process.
— Booklist
- Tranquility Parenting will help you develop a parenting philosophy based on your core beliefs and priorities for your child.
- Tranquility Parenting will show you how to stay calm and patient with your child by changing your judgments and focusing on what you can control.
- Tranquility Parenting will teach you how to reduce negative emotions such as anger, frustration, anxiety, and guilt.
- Tranquility Parenting will help you cultivate positive emotions such as cheerfulness, enjoyment, gratitude, and love.
- Tranquility Parenting includes easy-to-read chapter summaries and exercises for applying these techniques in real life.
- Tranquility Parenting includes two reference chapters: a convenient list of essential psychological techniques, and 10 common parenting scenarios with specific, practical advice.
- Tranquility Parenting includes both practical advice and theoretical explanations for interacting with and teaching your child.
3/11/19: Our newest 3 Questions Q&A features "Tranquility Parenting: A Guide to Staying Calm, Mindful, and Engaged" author Brittany B. Polat. Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-questions-qa-brittany-polat-deborah-hudson/10/28/19, Stoic Fellowship: Author Brittany B. Polat is profiled by Stoicism in Action. Link: https://medium.com/stoicism/an-interview-with-brittany-polat-81dc3b013e81