Tranquility Parenting

Polat, a practitioner of stoicism and creator of apparentstoic.com, draws on the philosophical schoolâs practical and relevant wisdom in a straightforward and lucidly presented primer on stoic parenting. She is careful to differentiate stoicismâs contemporary connotationsâ"as referring to âsomeone who doesnât show or even feel any emotionââ"from the classical teachings of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, who prized âemotional tranquility in tough situationsâ and a logical approach to positive and negative emotions alike as a path to âlasting peace and happinessâ not tied to material goods or fleeting emotions. Noting the Stoics were âmaster psychologists,â Polat finds their ideas applicable to âdifficult situationsâ 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 Senecaâs words, âcheerful, calm, and undisturbed.â While Polatâs 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.
â" 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!
â" 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.
â" 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 Aureliusâ 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 âMake It Your Ownâ 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.
â" Booklist