We all agree that we could all be better parents. While we are all quite busy, and time to read is definitely at a premium,  I have been checking out what experts think are some good books on the topic of parenting. Here are 4 books that may be worth a read.

5minutesformom has a review of ScreamFree Parenting. For the many parents low on patience, this book is critical to learn how to deal with our children without the need to raise our voice. (Raise your hand: How many of you sometimes lose it and start screaming at your kids?) Jennifer, of 5minutesformom, writes, “As [the author] so rightly observes, “Parenting is not about children, it’s about parents.” He fills us in on the definition of a true show of love, being not I love you for your benefit, or I love you for my benefit (as many parents do), but I love me for your benefit.”

Over at A Mother in Israel the blogger also has an extensive list of parenting book reviews on topics from breastfeeding to game therapy to try and better your relationship with you child. One of the reviews is about a book written by Naomi Stadlen entitled, “What Mothers Do: Especially When it Looks Like Nothing”.  A Mother in Israel says, “In the chapter, ‘So tired I could die,’ she discusses how mothers relate to the overwhelming fatigue of the early weeks. One mother pointed out that if she had more energy she might be out and about or doing housework instead of resting and caring for the baby, who can be easily cared for at that stage (minus the housework).”

Over on imperfectparent.com, Redsy takes a critical view of Neal Pollack’s Alternadad. She is not a big fan of ‘hip’ parenting and quotes Lisa Carver to make her point. She says,” Lisa Carver captures the essence of the problem beautifully: As a generation (X), what we know for sure is how to be sarcastic and irreverent. Parenthood is bigger than that. It inspires thankfulness, humility, rage,…wonder and a quiet sense of sacredness.”

And finally we have a parenting book written by Vanessa Van Petten called, “You’re grounded”.  Van Petten wrote the book when she was 17 years old. She says that the book, “gives teenagers tricks to extend their curfew and tells parents how to convince their teens to pick up after themselves. Every topic is brought onto the table, as Van Petten delves into teenage sex, underage drinking, video games and teen drug use. Her candor and personal anecdotes help teenagers to not feel alone in their experience of the tumultuous teenager years, while also calming parents fears by telling them how to prevent these issues from happening to their own children.”

Feel free to let us know about your favorite parenting book. After all, we can all be better parents.

With parents and children fully immersed in Back-to-School mode, I think that in many cases, sending your kids off to school maybe a more dificult adjustment for you than for your children, espcially for the younger ones. I am far from an expert in these issues, but from my own personal experience, I have found that most kids aren’t as nervous about their new surroundings as their parents are.  

I came across a really interesting blog by Run DMT who wrote about her daughter going back to school: “ To familiarize her with the routine, Allana rode the bus this morning.  Emmalynn and I left a few minutes later to meet Allana at school and walk her to class, but to our disappointment, we were too late.  With all the back to school congestion, we were stuck in traffic and as a result, we missed our opportunity to escort Allana to her new classroom.  Although I was upset, Allana didn’t seem the least bit concerned.  By the time we arrived at her classroom, she had already settled in nicely.  It seems I may have been more upset than she.”

That’s my feeling exactly. I like to compare sending your kids to school and teaching them how to swim. The fact is that the old adage of ‘jump in and learn to swim’ just seems so relevent. Small children are great at adjusting to new environments, and they take to it like a fish to water.

Parents. As the first day of school approaches, take a deep breath and relax. Your child isn’t the first one to ever go to school. Everything should should go smoothly. As my sister with 4 teenagers likes to remind me: Small children, small problems. Big children, big problems. Now that’s something to get nervous about!

Aaron Katsman is Managing Editor of the Israel Opportunity Investor newsletter. He is lead portfolio manager for the Israel Growth Portfolio and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. For more information, go to www.israelnewsletter.com  or email aaron@profile-financial.com.

With the slowing economy, a new phenomenon has taken hold. It’s pretty common for young people in their 20’s to move back into their parents home, but now we are seeing adults, in their 40’s and 50’s moving back in with mom and dad.  Either because of a sluggish job market or the credit issues which have caused havoc with the housing market, in many cases adults have no choice but to bite the bullet and move back home.

Common wisdom among financial planners that I know is that parents shouldn’t jeopardize their financial independence in order to help out their adult children. Once your kids become adults, you should wipe your hands of responsibility.

But as I love to say, there is more to life than economics and financial planning. My question is, what is family for? Should parents take a cruise to the Caribbean when their responsible daughter was just laid off and is in a financially tough spot? Dying and getting buried with lots of money doesn’t really help. Isn’t the point of having money, aside for trying to provide a comfortable lifestyle, to try and help out those less fortunate? Wouldn’t a struggling daughter fit that bill?

If parents are themselves stretched financially, they don’t have to actually shell out money for the child. Rather, they can provide a roof and help that way, allowing the child to save hundreds of dollars a month.

I have worked with parents in similar situations. I have found that for both parents and the children who have moved back in, they find that their relationship has grown much stronger as a result.

Neither parents nor children view moving back home as a desirable outcome, but if left with no choice, would you actually refuse to support your child?

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com

When I started my home-based business, I was inspired by the many articles touting the benefits of self-employment for mothers. However, reality can be pretty different than ideals, so I would like to come right out and dispel some of the commonly-held falsehoods about self-employment:

The lie: You can save on childcare.

Yeah right. Try getting work done with a kid on your lap tapping happily away on your keyboard, or pulling the pots out of the kitchen cupboard. Even when they’re sleeping, you never know if they’ll wake up in five minutes or two hours. The result - pressure! This does not yield high-quality results.

The truth: Get a babysitter, or a nanny.

Or consider daycare. Better that they spend a few hours under someone else’s care and that you really get your work done, than that you spend all day trying to get your work done, but never really finish it and always feel unaccomplished and edgy.

The lie: A home-based business means you can work less and earn more.

I quickly realized that I was spending more time on my business than I did when I was a part-time employee. That is because when you run a business, you wear all the hats. You are responsible for accounting, marketing, client management, etc. And there are no paid vacation or sick days. You work - you get paid. You don’t - nada.

The truth: Be prepared to put a lot of time into your business

Particularly if your start-up resources are scarce. If you are a one man/woman show, your failures are your business’s failures.

The lie: Creating a cozy home office allows you to separate your work life and home life.

Maybe this is the case for people who live in sprawling homes with rolling green lawns. But for those who live in cities, or in Europe or the Middle East, housing standards are different. For example, families with many children often live in apartments with only a few rooms. And when I say rooms, I mean bedrooms and one multi-purpose kitchen/living room/dining room. No family room with crackling fireplace. No den. No basement. So where exactly are you going to put your cozy little office? In the bathroom?

The truth: Be prepared to work in your bathroom.

Or your bedroom. I know someone who changed one of their bathrooms into an office. I personally worked for two years in our bedroom perched on the corner of a tiny desk. The work/family separation thing? Really difficult to maintain when you’re working out of your bedroom. Or bathroom.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m a big believer in self-employment. I love running my business and watching it grow. I get a great feeling of accomplishment from it, and I do have greater flexibility and can rearrange my schedule as needed, i.e. by working in the evening when the kids are sleeping. But preparedness is a key factor in your success.