At one point or another most parents will exclaim in exasperation, “Why don’t kids come with instruction manuals?” If only. Sure, there are enough parenting books to keep you reading until your infant goes to university, but many sit on coffee tables, unopened, because while your toddler is having an epic tantrum is not the time to be flipping pages for help. Ain’t Misbehavin’, best-selling Canadian author and parenting expert Alyson Schafer’s latest book, solves that dilemma with bite-sized tips and strategies, organized in an easy-to-access menu.

Is your independent toddler refusing every diaper change? Turn to page 47. Does your son’s potty-mouth at playdates make you blush? Page 114 is for you. From sleep issues, to food fights, social skills, personal hygiene, sibling fighting, money matters, and screen-time addictions, Ain’t Misbehavin’ covers more than 100 common behaviours parents struggle with. Each chapter covers a category, such as “Bad Habits”, and contains specific examples of behaviours that fall within it. Throughout the book, Alyson offers insight into issues (the why?) and strategies to overcome them (the how?), including scripts for mid-tantrum situations, and modifications if things aren’t working. As you peruse Ain’t Misbehavin’, we guarantee you’ll find yourself nodding in agreement, laughing out loud, and wondering if Alyson has a hidden camera in your living room.

The solutions offered are practical, easy to apply, and we appreciated the multiple approach idea – after all, parenting is not a one-solution-fits-all endeavor. And now that our toddler has learned to open her bedroom door for middle-of-the-night visits, we’ll be turning to page 33 before bedtime tonight. We may have just found our kid’s instruction manual…

Ain’t Misbehavin – Tactics for Tantrums, Meltdowns, Bedtime Blues and Other Perfectly Normal Kid Behaviours: www.chapters.indigo.ca