Enjoy the Ride: Tools, Tips, and Inspiration for the Most Common Parenting Challenges

by Suzy Martyn

By Suzy Martyn Suzy is not your ordinary pie-in-the-sky theorist on parenting topics. She is first and foremost a mom with tons of experience with not only her own three children, but children in the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 057800951X
• ISBN13: 9780578009513
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Mothers Friend Publishing
• Length: 142 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully easy-to-use book for parents

Enjoy the Ride is the second wonderful book written by Suzy Martyn that I've had the opportunity to read. And I love it as much as I loved Sleep Tight. This book is similar in size to Sleep Tight and it's just as short and to the point. I really appreciate this- I have two small kids and virtually no free time, so I need concise! Enjoy the Ride is subtitled "Tools, tips and inspiration for the most common parenting challenges." Like the sleep book, it's wonderfully organized with clearly labeled parts and chapters, broken down by age and specific issue. There are chapters on every subject ranging from preparing for baby to breastfeeding to speech development to potty training to sibling relationships to handing friendships and anger and finances. I did read through the entire book last week, but when I started potty training this week, I loved that I was able to quickly go back to the section on potty training and read just what I needed for today without getting bogged down by everything else. The back of the book includes resources such as a baby registry checklist, an infant feeding log, information on introducing solids, mealtime manners and a behavior chart. After that there is a list of books and resources to go to for further help and a handy index for quickly finding the information you need. So many parenting books have such an enormous amount of information that they are overwhelming. I think this book is helpful and easy-to-use and not at all scary. I highly recommend it as a must-have if you're a parent and as a wonderful gift for the parent-to-be in your life. Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review for myself, but was not compensated in any other way and was under no obligation to publish a positive review. All opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.

Making parenting simple and real again

Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (11/09) At a quick glance of the book's cover, any parent or parent-to-be would be impressed with the award-winning label of "Mom's Choice Awards - Honoring Excellence" alone, but a simple turn of the book to the back cover boasts an even more impressive list of credentials of the author, including her Family Fun Magazine's "Mom of the Month" award. This book is not a typical, run-of-the-mill style parenting book that covers a certain number of years. This particular book covers everything from the pre-natal months through toddler years, with even a touch of early school years. Much of what the book covers could, technically, even be brought through the raising of your teenage child as it deals with issues such as handling anger and sibling rivalry; something that we parents all know continue well past the toddler times! An excellent "Resource" area in the back of the book allows one to copy and utilize work sheets, hints and tips, and even small notes that could be copied and placed on the fridge for daily viewing. One of my favorites is the weekly "Behavior Chart," keeping track of how your little one uses such manners as saying "please" and "thank you," along with other simple manners that can often be forgotten. With this quick chart hanging on one's fridge, your little one could easily and proudly display the times they remember their manners! Another portion of the "Resource" area I enjoyed was the listing of introduction of solid foods. This detailed, yet not overwhelming, listing of foods and when they generally are introduced to a child allows a parent to feel comfortable and somewhat guided that what they are doing is or isn't "in the norm." This particular listing itself I found to be an amazing help to me when a friend, whom I had given the book to after reading it myself for the review, called me to thank me - telling me "the `Introducing Solids' listing was so helpful! It's been over 10 years since I've done this and while I thought it was all second nature I found myself quickly second guessing `is it ok to feed him Cheerios yet?' and this list quickly put my mind at ease!" I realized that this is often a question of both new and "repeat" parents who may have simply forgotten what stage happens when.Other issues handled without too much information, yet enough to make one feel comfortable and well informed, include potty training, handling night terrors, setting limits and even financial issues that are often a hidden fear that is not talked about by your peers. Speech, preparing for the infant, introducing the "new baby" to siblings and so much more are presented in an easy to read, understand and comprehend style without spending hours on end trying to decipher "professional language," written in layman's terms and fairly direct with answers and suggestions. This book would be a wonderful gift to any expectant parent and something I would highly recommend to anyone whoever has

A lot of handy information

With all the parenting books out there, it can be difficult to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the flood of information and advice. Suzy Martyn's book Enjoy the Ride: Tools, Tips, and Inspiration for the Parenting Challenge might make a nice antidote to the deluge. This slim book provides plenty of bite-sized snippets of concrete, easily applicable tips for new parents. Without getting bogged down in tremendous details, Martyn provides practical take-away tips for the most likely issues many new parents will face in the first decade of a child's life. What sets this book apart is its ability to cut to the core of an issue in a concise manner. When you have a newborn, time is in short supply and Martyn's ability to jump to the heart of a matter will be greatly appreciated by many busy parents. For instance, under the heading "What's Normal for Newborns?" Martyn utilizes two short pages to list straight-to-the-point, solid advice on the twelve most common questions a brand new parent worries about, like cradle cap, infant acne, and what a typical poop looks like. Personally, I remember being deeply concerned by at least three-quarters of these issues and would have benefited greatly from the snap advice in this book. Enjoy the Ride has page after easy-to-read page of succinct advice, and Martyn has chosen an interesting array of parenting issues to tackle. Of course, there are the typical newborn, nursing, sleeping questions that are addressed thoughtfully. But then Martyn also advises on setting limits, handling finances, teaching responsibility, dealing with anger, and friendships. In the section entitled "A Little Bit of This and a Bit of That," she provides a potpourri of tricks of the trade spanning a wide range, from a quick tip on how to get a slow-riser out of the house early in the morning ("Put them to bed in their street clothes. Choose something comfortable that doesn't wrinkle.") to figuring out what fills your child's emotional tank ("If you do, chances are very high that you will have a content child who will feel less of a need to act out for attention...") The author provides a variety of handy formats to display her tips, making Enjoy the Ride a highly readable book. She alternates question-and-answer sections with lists, narratives and boxed text. She also provides cute personal anecdotes about her three daughters, Faith, Hope, and Grace, which serve to entertain readers as well as illustrate key points. Many of the quotes are quite sweet and charming; and others, such as the following introduction to the chapter on teaching responsibility, were ones that many parents can relate to: "`I don't want to do any chores, Mommy, because that is your job. And, when I'm all grown up can you come live with me and do them for me?' -an unknown three-year-old child that does not live in our house." The author has overseen children in the classroom, in her own home childcare, and through her parenting consultation service. Most importantly, s

Useful guide

Reviewed by Kam Aures [...](07/09) "Enjoy the Ride: Tools, Tips, and Inspiration for the Most Common Parenting Challenges" by Suzy Martyn is a handy guide that provides tons of useful information regarding raising children. When I think of a parenting book I automatically think that a book of this type would be most beneficial to brand-new parents; however, Martyn's book is different. There are also tips and advice that would pertain to those who are well past the newborn stage. The manual is geared for those with children aged newborn through age ten. The book discusses such topics as preparing for baby, the first few days, breastfeeding, sleep, feeding, speech development, potty training, sibling relationships, learning, responsibility, friendships, and much, much more! Of most interest to me in this point in my life was the potty training section. My youngest son, who is one month shy of turning 3, is in the process of potty training but is resisting. I found some useful tips in the "I Be Dry, Mama!" chapter that I will be incorporating into the training process. One idea that I really liked was when you go out to put big boy underwear on your potty-training child, but put a pull-up over the top of it. By doing this, if the child goes he will still feel wet but your child will not leave a puddle in a public place. After reading "Enjoy the Ride: Tools, Tips, and Inspiration for the Most Common Parenting Challenges" I found it to be a very useful guide and most definitely will be buying it for upcoming baby shower gifts. The information is presented in a very straight-forward, easy-to-read and understand manner. I think that any parent with young children could at least find a few useful tips in the book that would help make the journey down the parenting road a little easier!

thorough & practical guide for setting clear, but loving boundaries

I enjoyed reading this book. It's got lots of practical ideas on how to handle everyday parenting issues. It can be used as a quick read, so parents can thumb through the book to reach a specific chapter that deals with whatever situation is at hand. The author gives really concrete & practical ideas, so the reader is left with some fresh ideas and skills to implement with their children. I appreciate the author's heart---you get the feeling that she genuinely desires to give hope to parents, despite the challenges we face in everyday parenting.