Parenting books

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I'm feeling like a Bad Parent with a wayward toddler at the moment - apart from scouring mn for tips, please can anyone recommend their favourite parenting book? Anything that actually helped?! Thank you

A friend recommended Toddler Taming but I thought it was rubbish. We're getting along without books. Sorry, that's probably the opposite of what you wanted to hear! What are the specific issues?

Mostly discipline stuff - am I being to harsh, not harsh enough etc. DS is 2.1 and well he seems ok but everyone keeps telling me 'get it right at 2 and 3 cos after that it's much harder'. What on earth does 'get it right' mean?! I think I just had one of those won't eat breakfast won't dress won't share just wants to wreck havoc mornings and had a massive parenting anxiety wobble!

I liked:
Positive Discipline - Nelsen, Erwin & Duffy
How to talk so your kids will listen - Faber & Mazlish
The Parenting Book - N & S Lee

Not yet read:
How to behave so your pre-schooler behaves
The five love languages of children (not so much about discipline though)
Raising our children, raising ourselves

I didn't like Playful Parenting.

Ahhhh and the "boundaries" books by Mccloud are good too

Raising Happy Children - Jan Stimpson & Jan Parker.
It's a great book, if you like the style it will see you right through from babyhood to teenage years. Lots of comments/ideas/shared experiences from parents interspersed through the book as well, so it is very readable.

I loved "Playful Parenting" by Lawrence Cohen, particularly the chapter on Discipline. "How to talk..." is also good. "Raising Children, Raising Ourselves"- also good but maybe less accessible, more idealistic.

I like The Negotiation Generation - because it is commonsensical and I actually use it! The basic theme is that if you can predict something you can prevent it - very handy.

www.amazon.com/Negotiation-Generation-Parental-Authority-Punishment/dp/0425217019

Brilliant, thanks all! Reading at least makes me feel better, even if it fails to make me a better parent

Heh heh. My default position is always to buy a book.