Bibliophile

Almost everything I know how to do, which is worth knowing how to do, started with or involved a book at some point.  I dropped out of the computer science program at Bowling Green State University in part because I concluded they were in no hurry to teach me anything, and instead learned to be a programmer courtesy of Waldenbooks, the now-largely defunct chain of shopping mall book stores.  I have read, processed, and even thrown away more books on computer programming than many of my friends have read on any subject.

When I became a homeowner, I turned to books.  I read about shopping for houses, inspecting houses, and (ultimately) maintaining and repairing houses.  I have books on automobile repair, relationships, God and religion, political philosophy, and my not-so-secret hobby, economics.  At the end of the day, when all I want is to relax and enjoy something that's not too strenuous on the ol' noggin, I turn to an equally extensive collection of fictional work.

So it is that as I prepare to become a father, I naturally turn to books on parenting and fatherhood.  At first glance, the field of offerings is so vast as to be thoroughly bewildering.  There are countless highly-regarded works available, and I'm sure some of them contain conflicting advice on child-rearing.  I momentarily despaired at finding a good one to start with, but then realized I'd probably read several different ones anyway.  I picked one that had a title that appealed to me, with reviews generally positive, and dove in for a look around.

My current book is Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World, by Jane Nelsen and H. Stephen Glenn.  It appeals to my worldview in that its emphasis is on raising kids to be problem solvers and solution finders rather than simply consumers of other peoples' solutions.   It doesn't deal directly with issues I see myself having as a parent due to past experience, but the ideas it offers are already incompatible with yelling and losing my temper, so it certainly can't hurt.  I am particularly interested in the idea of creating an environment for learning with just enough "danger" in it to provide naturally-occurring negative consequences rather than the sort that come from angry or disappointed parents.

Anyway, I'm about halfway through the book, and after I absorb it (and probably read it a second time), I'll be casting about for the next one.  My usual pattern is 2 - 3 books before I reach a saturation point on theory and have to take some time to either practice what I've learned or just let it settle.  So if you're a parent and have some recommendations for my reading list, feel free to leave them in the comments.  I'm particularly interested in self-reliance and independence for kids, and self-control and patience for parents.  All suggestions are welcome, even if they're as self-deprecating as Parenting for Dummies.