Well, we all want to have happy children so the tagline to this one hooked me straight away. The Dr Martin J Coles recipe for parenting success is delivered via his Ten Commandments ranging from 'You shall not be perfect', 'You shall not make for yourself a false idol in screen time, but covet sleep time', 'Remember literacy to keep it holy' and 'You shall covet good relations with your partner and family members'. How to have Happy Children is the kind of book to re-read regularly. None of it is earth-shattering advice but it is delivered in a down to earth and sympathetic manner from a writer who readily acknowledges his own faults. Coles is a clear communicator and his recommendations are all fairly easy to action. Covering the years from toddlerhood to teenagerdom, what I take from it will shift over time but I hope it will continue to resonate.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley. This in no way shaped my review or opinion of the book.

I thought the book was interesting. I wouldn’t quite recommend it. It’s a tough topic to write about, without being overbearing and just giving your opinions on how to parent.

This book is not about How To Have Happy Children but the author's opinion on how to raise children. No facts or scientific research. I agree with Martin's points because it's mostly common sense. FYI, Martin's parenting style is: back in my day computers took up a whole room. A lot of these commandments are necessary but won't make your kid happy, such as limiting screen time and time outs.

Pro tip: if you are the type of parent that would read this book then you are probably already doing a great job!

I don’t normally read non-fiction, but I am new to this whole “mom” thing, so I thought it might be a helpful read.

At times, this read like a research paper - however, there were several helpful tidbits that I think I will put into practice. I appreciated that it was realistic - this does not preach “no screen time”, which I think is damn near impossible.

I would suggest this read for the commandments as helpful reminders!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Based on the title, the premise, and the cover, I expected this book to be lighter. The commandments make sense, but it was somewhat difficult for me to understand from the chapters how these were instructions on having happy kids. Lots of research references, and at times the book felt negative towards mothers and their parenting styles. Some of it may be cultural differences in language or tone, as I did not realize this was a book from the UK.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.