For too many parents, finding time to balance a business or career, community obligations, running a household and raising well-adjusted children is more an example of wishful thinking than reality. This often leads to profound regrets as their kids seem to grow up too fast, leaving for college and other adult pursuits before parents have a chance to make the most of their kids’ childhoods.
However, a Denver pediatrician has developed effective, easy-to-implement strategies for busy moms and dads to integrate cherished moments with their children into their hectic adult schedules.
In fact, No Regrets Parenting, a new book and iTunes podcast from Dr. Harley A. Rotbart, is all about experiencing the joy and depth of parenting amidst the chaos and choreography that most modern families must navigate on a daily basis.
"Dr. Rotbart has a gift for uncovering and explaining the countless possibilities in parenting," writes New York Times best-selling author Jeffrey Zaslow in a blurb appearing on the cover of the new No Regrets Parenting book, published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. "This book is a treasure for all of us with children."
Dr. Stephen Berman, past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, says Dr. Rotbart’s book is “a must read for young parents who are struggling with finding the right balance between career and family.”
No Regrets Parenting is due in all major Colorado bookstores and national online book retailers later this month. But Dr. Rotbart's iTunes podcast is already available to download for free.
Each of Dr. Rotbart's lively podcasts provide simple, short recommendations for turning everyday family routines into meaningful parent-child interactions that become priceless life-long memories. Episodes of the No Regrets Parenting podcasts are posted weekly and run less than five minutes in length.
A recent No Regrets Parenting audio offers an easy and useful mental trick to help parents readjust their thinking from minutes to moments. The episode, titled "Keeping An Eye On The 'Other' Biological Clock,” reflects on the relentlessly ticking biological rhythms that turn babies into big kids and big kids into young adults - all too soon.
"Think about these numbers. There are only 940 Saturdays between a child's birth and her leaving for college," says Dr. Rotbart. "How many have already skipped by?" he asks.
Dr. Rotbart has been a pediatric specialist for the past three decades and is professor and vice chairman of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado.
Dr. Rotbart and his wife, Sara, practiced the No Regrets Parenting concepts while raising their own three kids. The ideas come from their own experiences, and also from extensive work that Dr. Rotbart has done with parents in his own practice for many years.
As a pediatrician, Dr. Rotbart says he has witnessed the best parenting practices, but has also seen many unfortunate situations where parents’ efforts fell short – leaving both them and their kids wishing for a chance to do it over again.
"But there are no second chances," Dr. Rotbart observes, which is why he wrote No Regrets Parenting for parents hoping to do it right the first time. He has written two previous books for parents: "The On Deck Circle of Life: 101 Lessons from the Dugout" and "Germ Proof Your Kids: The Complete Guide to Protecting (without Overprotecting) Your Family from Infections."
The No Regrets Parenting iTune podcast is free from the iTunes store. Parents who subscribe to the audio can automatically receive it when new episodes are published.
More information on No Regrets Parenting, as well as a timely blog authored by Dr. Rotbart, can be found at www.NoRegretsParenting.com. Dr. Rotbart is on Twitter @NoRegretsParent.
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