Parenting

I first fell in love with Trudy Ludwig’s writing when I read My Secret Bully  It was the perfect Read & Discuss student activity to include in my own book, Friendship and Other Weapons: Group Activities to Help Young Girls Aged 5-11 to Cope With Bullying.  Since then, I’ve become a avid fan of Ludwig’s books for reading and sharing with kids–including my own daughters, ages 8 & 5.Yesterday afternoon, when our copy of her latest book,  Better Than You arrived, we all cozied up on the sofa, eager for another good read.  Indeed!  Both of my kids are all too familiar with the “Jake-type:” the kid who has an incessant need to one-up everyone else.  They both really related to the pufferfish analogy about kids who brag a lot and understood exactly what Ludwig means when she writes, “But when a kid acts like a pufferfish, he takes up so much space that he can also push friends away.”  Brilliant.  So simple, so clear, and so true.

As a Mom of kids who have been guilty of “puffing” a time or two themselves–particularly with each other–Better Than You was a great conversation starter and powerful reminder of how others perceive puffery and bragging.  This book is a must read for kids and a must-share for parents, teachers, counselors, and anyone living or working with kids.