Suggested Reading

Many parents want to understand my philosophy of parenting. In short, I believe parenting is about sacrifice. Once a parent decides to be a parent, their own desires must fall into second place. The kids are the priority. I support the parent’s right to be a parent and to make informed decisions about their children. I would hope that those decisions are based on truth and not myth. I strongly support active parenting, e.g. the actual parent rearing the child as opposed to dumping that task upon gradparents, schools or daycares. But, I also recognize that parents today have many burdens that render ideals difficult to achieve.

Many of these books present views and concepts that I believe are both truthful and useful, but, as with all books, I cannot agree with every single concept. Generally, I am supportive of the ideas here. If you disagree or have other book suggestions, I encourage you to email me with them so we can begin a dialogue. Thanks for checking out this list.

– Dr. Watson

	The Collapse of Parenting Dr. Leonard Sax, How we hurt our kids when we treat them like grown-ups. 5 stars, highly recommend. Dr. Leonard Sax is an experienced family physician with remarkable insight with regard to functional families and healthy children. This book is not for the faint-of-heart parent. It challenges the divestment of parenting responsibilities in deference to societal pressures and child tantrums. It points out the damaging trends that many parents have allowed into their homes, and it encourages establishing clear family-supportive boundaries and basic common sense. As a parent myself, I see first-hand the things that compete for the attention of my children at the expense of the family, and I am an extremely strong advocate for protecting the family and the rights of a parent to be a parent. Children do not have the common sense to make adult decisions, and Dr. Sax discusses this at length. Dr. Sax supports a parenting approach that strengthens children to be conscientious such that they grow into resilient and responsible adults, and although you may wince in guilt at some of the patterns in your own parenting that he admonishes, I believe the sensible, common-sense dialogue that he encourages are messages we should heed. Sadly these are messages and approaches about which many pediatricians remain blithely ignorant.
	The Psychology of Totalitarianism Matthias Desmet, The psychology of Totalitarianism. 4 stars, Recommend. Matthias Desmet is a Belgian philosopher and professor of clinical psychology who has a chapter dedicated to his views in the book Blindsight is 2020. He introduces the concept of “Mass Formation” and the conditions that lead to this blindly ignorant “mob-mentality” movement that large masses of people will embrace. He describes the same conditions leading to mass formation existed in Stalin’s Russia and Hitler’s Germany, and he makes a compelling argument that this happened again during CoVID. He describes the vital importance of standing up for common sense and addresses the conditions leading to a “free floating anxiety” that pervades much of our generation. As insightful as he is, I give this book 4 stars because I believe that it may go over the heads of a majority of those who read my reviews as is sadly true of the works of most wonderful philosophers. A good read and a cautionary tale that those who don’t read history are doomed to repeat it.
	Blindsight is 2020 By Gabrielle Bauer Five Stars, Highly Recommend. Language not appropriate for children or puckerbutts. This is the single best book on the market to discuss in detail what happened during CoVID from the eyes of over 40 of the most brilliant minds in the world. Gabrielle Bauer is a healthcare reporter who went and interviewed people with an alternative view of what was happening during CoVID that was censored by mainstream dogma. She summarizes the interviews in each chapter. Some views may challenge your level of comfort, but this certainly does an outstanding job articulating the alternative views that any non-partisan, open-minded, thinking person should consider. I invite all of my patients’ parents to exercise their cognitive complexity to allow new and contrasting views into their field of consideration to enrich our dialogue when I see them in person. What is a “Puckerbutt”, this is my tongue-in-cheek label for people that are easily offended and uptight about everything.
	Why We Sleep Matthew Walker, PhD, Why We Sleep, Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. 5 stars, Highly Recommend. Easy to understand and very helpful for anyone who wants to understand the way sleep heals the brain. This book delves into the power of sleep, the necessity of sleep for a healthy brain, immune system and body. It details the effects on your brain when you go to bed late or wake up early. Dr. Walker challenges the education system that requires children to get up too early and makes a powerful argument to reconsider allowing our children to sleep. If you want to understand sleep and why you should take great efforts to protect it, this is the book for you.
	You’re Not Listening Kate Murphy 5 stars, highly recommend. This book details the importance of truly listening. Have you ever said, “I don[t have time to talk now”? What you mean, is “I don’t have time to listen now.” Kate Murphy discusses the way we listen and the importance of truly listening for meaningful conversations. She introduces the term “cognitive complexity” to describe the maturity to hear differing points of view and still maintain a civil and open conversation. In the wake of the CoVID nightmare, many people simply stopped listening, the dialogue closed down as people retreated to their own echo chambers. Ms. Murphy reveals that critical role of remaining silent to allow others to speak, conversational manners and the difference between listening and going through the motions.
	The Righteous Mind Jonathan Haidt. Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion 4 stars. Recommend with a disclaimer. Professor Haidt does a remarkable job breaking down his systematic approach to the development of moral foundations. In effect, he attempts to explore the kinds of things people value in helping them to develop their own concept of morality. He breaks them down into six areas and then goes into great length describing them. Foundation 1: Care/Harm, Foundation 2: Fairness/Cheating, Foundation 3: Loyalty/Betrayal, Foundation 4: Authority/Subversion, Foundation 5: Sanctity/Degradation, and Foundation 6: Liberty/Oppression. He does a decent job exploring why people have stopped communicating across political parties and in religious circles. Have you noticed a trend in regards to books that I recommend? They almost all deal with the importance of meaningful communication. Professor Haidt (a self-described liberal atheist) tries to break down why liberals and conservatives have such diverse (and even opposing) values. He recognizes that conservative thinkers use all six foundations, but liberal thinkers tend to acknowledge on only three. He also breaks down how both liberals and conservatives can re-engage in meaningful conversations again by simply recognizing what and why each party values things respectively. And commendably, he enjoins liberals to open their minds and recognize three entirely new foundations. Disclaimer: 4 stars because of what I believe is Professor Haidt’s bizarre obsession with Charles Darwin, a necessary requisite for a large branch of atheist thinking that I personally find lacking intellectual honesty. If, however, you are willing to exercise your “Cognitive Complexity” this will prove to be a rewarding read that will challenge your thinking and broaden your understanding.
	Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child By Marc Weissbluth, M.D. One of the country’s leading researchers updates his revolutionary approach to solving–and preventing–your children’s sleep problems. Here Dr. Marc Weissbluth, a distinguished pediatrician and father of four, offers his groundbreaking program to ensure the best sleep for your child.
	Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure By Paul A. Offit, M.D. A London researcher was the first to assert that the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine known as MMR caused autism in children. Following this “discovery,” a handful of parents declared that a mercury-containing preservative in several vaccines was responsible for the disease.
	Fast Food Nation: The Dark side of the All-American Meal By Eric Schlosser In 2001, Fast Food Nation was published to critical acclaim and became an international bestseller. Eric Schlosser’s exposé revealed how the fast food industry has altered the landscape of America, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and transformed food production throughout the world.
	Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Children By Joe S. McIlhaney Jr. What does a three-pound brain have to do with one’s sex life? A lot, actually. Breakthroughs in the burgeoning field of neuroscience explain the impact of sex on the developing brains of adolescents and young adults. d reaching their full potential.
	Because I Said So!: A Collection of 366 Insightful and Thought- Provoking Reflections on Parenting and Family Life By John Rosemond Easily digestable read in bite-sized daily chunks. From the nation’s leading expert on child rearing, I find this book absolutely excellent. It balances the extremes in odd-ball techniques plaguing children today with a level-headed time tested system for excellent child development.
	The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor By Mark Schatzker Eye opening read about the science of food flavorings, fooling us to eat stuff we ought not. Well written and insightful.
	When Breath Becomes Air By Paul Kalanithi Difficult but real experience of the vulnerabilities a young doctor faced when dying with cancer. Touching and heartfelt look at what gives life meaning.
	Cooking With Poo By Poo Saiyuud Diwong The name is hilarious. It is actually the author’s name, but nonetheless a common obsession of Dr. Watson, who can’t quit talking about diarrhea. The meals are simple and delicious. Fun for the whole family.
	Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals – Delicious, Nutritious, Super-Fast Food By Jamie Oliver I really like this author/chef. He has a practical understanding of what composes a healthy meal, and our kids take turns making meals with their mom using some of these recipes. They take a bit longer than 15 minutes, and require some planning to get all the materials. But certainly a great start.