I appreciate the conversational tone the author takes when breaking down the parts of understanding kids with baffling behaviors. The approach taken to explain how behaviors are communication and then what that means for parents was easy to understand and relatable. Very helpful for parents and caregivers to learn to self-regulate and then care for the kids needs.

I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. The opinions are mine alone.

There is a lot of good advice in this book, but I really didn't like the format of starting each chapter with a coaching conversation. The author explains at the start that each chapter will begin this way - a conversation with 'Nat' who is raising the kinds of issues that the reader is having. However this just did not resonate with me so I skipped that part of each chapter.

That said, the rest of the book is very interesting and helpful to anyone trying to understand their own behaviour in relation to the children they are raising.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy for review.

Written by a therapist and neuroscience expert, i thought it only fair to give this a read. As a newly neurodivergent member myself, I thought it would be interesting to get pre-clued up on the affects of children with ADHD as I obviously was a child with it myself, pre, pre diagnosis, I thought it would be interesting to see how to handle difficult behaviours.

Interestingly enough I became a little bit obsessed with this book, reading and rereading certain parts to make sure I was taking it all in, I have to say, I've read A LOT of books that claim to deal with strange or uncommon behaviours and especially ADHD or neurodiverse and this book certainly pips A LOT of them to the post.

This book certainly made me think about myself and my behaviours and also children in my care and theirs too. There is a lot of work to be done on my end, the parts about dysregulation I can defo relate too and I would like to work on this as I can then help dysregulation in my children but I can't do that if I'm also out of control too. This like everything in my work requires a lot of work and techniques and also a lot of self dedication to move forward.

There was so much I loved about this book but most of all I have to say about how much the layout worked for me within the book, how I loved the explanations and though it was word heavy, and I loved that, devouring the information from a book is one of my favourite things to do, I understand not everyone will feel that way. I did enjoy this book a lot!

Many thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC in return for my review!

I really enjoyed the way that this book was written. Each chapter started out with a conversation between Gobbel and a “client” discussing their daughter. It was a really great Segway into starting the discussion of what is to come throughout the chapter.

This book is very word heavy and found myself having to take multiple breaks to soak in the information. My favourite part of the book is in Chapter 5 when the Owl Brain, Watchdog & Possum Brain are introduced. I have never heard of the brain being described this way, however, think it could be a useful tool in explaining kids reactions / actions to them.

Thank you NetGalley & Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity to read to this ARC!

An excellent addition to the parenting category. I will keep this on my shelf and recommend to parents who are struggling with challenging behaviors. The strategies discussed in this book are evidence-based and effective when implemented.

This was written by a therapist and neuroscience expert who specializes in kids who have difficult behaviors, often related to trauma or a vulnerable nervous system. The main idea is that all behavior makes sense, and she backs that up with explanations of how the brain works. Her work is rooted in attachment theory and fits well into what I want and try for regarding my parenting style. It was informative and helpful to learn the neuroscience behind some of the things I am already working on. One thing that has been a challenge for me is that I myself am often very dysregulated (both for my own reasons and for parenting stress reasons) and no one really tells you how to help your kid when you're already spinning out and can't contain even yourself, let alone yourself and a dysregulated child. Gobbel specifically recognizes and addresses this challenge, offering ways to grow your "owl brain" and strategies to work towards self-regulation. Spoiler alert, it's not a quick, one-step fix but a process of self-awareness and self-compassion. It is the first time anyone's ever given me a plan for how to help both of us though, and I do feel like it's starting to help me in the moment. The author also has a podcast dealing with a lot of these same issues, but I haven't explored that too much. A hopeful 5 stars from someone who often feels hopeless.

This is one of the absolute best parenting books I have read! And I have read quite a few. I love how the author takes us into an actual section and explains how she also uses the regulation tools she teaches. The way she uses animals to describe the brain is spot on and could be really helpful explaing it to children so they know what's going on inside. Highly recommend this book.

This seems like it'll be a great tool for parents whose kids have trouble expressing their emotions in a healthy way and who have difficulties with self-regulation. It was a very informative book and I will definitely be purchasing a copy.

I have 2 neurospicy kiddos so this was a great eye opening read for me. It did take me a little while to get through and I came back to certain sections often but I enjoyed how the book was set up to create the opportunity to be able to flick to and from relevant sections. I do wish the author shared more of a concern of where their own parenting fit into this.

This book will make all adults think about themselves and the children in their care. The title says ‘Raising kids’. I am more focused on this as a teacher than a parent. I am so impressed by Robyn Gobbel’s style and method that she presents to get across the topic of positively tackling big, baffling behaviours. The explanation of what is happening in the brain expressed as outward behaviour is eye-opening. I have been presented with training on this topic many times as a teacher, but always struggled to convert the theoretical into action in what I see and experience in the real world. This book provides understanding that makes so much sense. Putting this into positive practice in the classroom- that is going to take time and thought. But I feel more positive I have a chance of identifying what is going on with me and the children in my classes when big, challenging behaviour is happening. Thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

My son was recently diagnosed with autism but has struggled with big emotions for several years. I found this book so incredibly helpful to better understand him. It’s helped me to learn new ways of seeing his behaviors and to not get frustrated with him. I so appreciate this book on so many levels for what it has taught me. Just as an fyi your child doesn’t have to have a diagnosis or autism for this book to be effective or helpful! I have three children and I found useful and helpful material for all three within! Wonderful book! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me an early read!

I like that this book is about the why behind commonly thought of behaviors that people have trouble understanding that don't experience them. However, I also wish there was more to break up all the words. Being a person with a Big, Baffling Behavior issues myself and a parent of a child with Big, Baffling Behaviors multisensory educational texts are better processed than wordy ones. I honestly looked at this with the cover and thought "Oh, this may be one I'd actually pick up outside of netgalley." Then I started getting into it and it was a long process for me just to wrap my head around skimming it. This is something I feel people trying to help neurodifferent people don't totally understand. Yes, we want people to understand/accept us as us but we also want to understand each other. Just because I'm autistic doesn't mean I understand all other autistics or, even, fully myself. Overall, helpful for those who can slug through wordy text.