Elizabeth Whitworth, Author at Shortform Books

How to Raise Deeply Feeling Kids: 2 Tools From Dr. Becky

Do you have a child who seems to be immune from basic parenting strategies? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything and still get resistance? If you answered “Yes” to these questions, you might have a “deeply feeling kid.” Dr. Becky Kennedy uses this term to describe a child who experiences intense feelings and, as a result, exhibits intense reactions and behaviors. She provides two tools that are designed to reach deeply feeling kids. Read more to learn about children who feel deeply and to understand what they need.

Bored Body Language: 2 Ways to Tell if Someone Is Checked Out

Can you tell when someone is bored or impatient? Do they just look at their watch or twiddle their thumbs? Retired FBI Special Agent Joe Navarro knows how to read people, and he wants to help you learn to interpret nonverbal communication. In his book The Dictionary of Body Language, he teaches you how to read emotions by understanding subtle cues in people’s physical behavior. Continue reading to learn how to detect bored body language in people and determine that they’re probably checked out.

What Are the Elements of a Narrative? The 4 Ingredients

What are the elements of a narrative? What story ingredients do our brains expect to find? Writer and producer Lisa Cron contends that humans require stories to engage our brains in the way our brains process information. She believes that we developed certain expectations for narratives. So, if a writer wants to engage readers’ brains, they must provide these expected elements. Keep reading to learn what these essential ingredients are and why they meet readers’ cravings.

The “Good Inside” Parenting Toolkit: 5 Essential Tools for Parents

When should you employ validation with your child? Do you take time for silliness in your family? Why does your child need boundaries? Dr. Becky Kennedy’s book Good Inside is a parenting manual to help you make changes in your child’s behavior while building a positive relationship. Her approach stems from the principle that you and your child are good people at your core—you’re “good inside”—even when you’re struggling. She shares tools to help you implement this principle. Continue reading for five “Good Inside” parenting tools and one bonus strategy.

Attachment Theory Parenting + the IFS Model: Dr. Becky’s Recipe

Do you feel like you’re a bad parent or that you have a bad kid? Does parenting seem like an endless struggle to control your child’s behavior? Dr. Becky Kennedy, a clinical psychologist and a mother, aims to encourage parents who feel this way. In her book Good Inside, she shares her effective parenting approach, which is based on attachment theory and the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. Keep reading to understand the power of blending attachment theory parenting with the IFS model.

Details in a Story: How Much Can the Reader’s Brain Handle?

Do you confuse your readers by adding too much detail or the wrong kind of detail? What should you include, and what should you leave out? Lisa Cron discusses how to use details in a story, explaining that details should be concrete rather than abstract—and enough but not too much. Cron shares her advice on how to use details to enhance your plot rather than distract from it, explaining that your protagonist helps you determine what to include. Continue reading to learn how to strike the right balance when it comes to using details in a story.

How to Tell if Someone Is Angry: Body Language to Look For

Can you tell when someone is angry? What angry body language cue can lead to health problems? Retired FBI Special Agent Joe Navarro covers a variety of emotions that you can detect in other people by reading their subtle behaviors. In The Dictionary of Body Language, he describes two angry body language cues to look for. Read more to learn how to tell if someone is angry by reading their body language.

Dr. Becky’s Parenting Principle: You & Your Child Are Good Inside

What do you believe to be true about yourself as a parent? How well do you understand what’s behind your child’s behavior? Clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy’s Good Inside is a parenting manual to help you make changes in your child’s behavior while building a positive relationship with them. Dr. Becky’s parenting approach stems from one basic principle: You and your child are good people, even if you’re not doing well right now. Let’s look at how this principle informs Dr. Becky’s approach to parenting and examine the theoretical basis for her philosophy.

How Boundaries in Parenting Help You Meet 4 Challenges

Why doesn’t it always work when you tell your child to stop doing something? What should you do instead? Dr. Becky Kennedy, a clinical psychologist and a mother of three, shares her approach to parenting in her book Good Inside. We’ll take a look at what she has to say about boundaries along with some supplementary advice from No-Drama Discipline. Read more to learn how boundaries in parenting can help you meet four parenting challenges head-on.

The Element of Conflict in a Narrative: The Driver of Change

What’s any story really about—regardless of its plot? What function does conflict serve in a narrative? Writer Lisa Cron contends that stories are about how we, rather than the world around us, change. That change is driven by conflict. Humans are wired to resist both conflict and change. But, ultimately, we know that this is how anything moves forward. Keep reading to learn about the element of conflict in a narrative.