61 pages • 2 hours read
Becky KennedyGood Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
In Good Inside, Dr. Kennedy begins by listing a set of 10 parenting principles she practices in her personal life. Explain each principle with one or more relevant examples. Which principle resonates with you the most? Which do you think would be the toughest to practice? Why?
Two theoretical frameworks inform Dr. Kennedy’s parenting model. What are they, and what basic principles do each of them propose? How do they work in tandem to explain Dr. Kennedy’s approach to children and parenting?
The underlying principle of Dr. Kennedy’s approach, as indicated by the book’s title, is the inherent goodness of all people. What may prevent a parent from remembering this during an interaction with their child? How does Dr. Kennedy’s approach help a parent refocus on internal goodness for themselves and for their child?
Although Dr. Kennedy emphasizes the formative value of early childhood experiences, she also reassures parents that it is never too late to rewire one’s brain. In this context, what is one of the most important practices she suggests to ensure that parent-child relationships remain strong and healthy? What central theme of the book does this practice tie into?
A number of the concepts and ideas Dr. Kennedy puts forth in the book are interrelated. Examine the concepts of frustration tolerance, building confidence, and consent, as presented in the book. What is the underlying factor all three concepts have in common? What are some core ideas that the child needs to learn and internalize in all three cases? Substantiate your response with examples.
One of the 10 parenting principles that Dr. Kennedy stresses is that behavior is a window into something larger underneath the surface. Demonstrate how this holds true for the different issues Dr. Kennedy tackles in the book, using examples of your own.
Why is self-care important, according to Dr. Kennedy? What does this indicate about her parenting approach, and how does it differentiate her from other practitioners in the field of respectful parenting?
Despite having started out training in behavioral modification approaches to parenting, Dr. Kennedy does not suggest or advise these strategies any longer. What are the issues that she sees with such strategies? What central theme of the book does her rejection of these strategies call to?
What, according to Dr. Kennedy, is resilience? How can a focus on ensuring a child’s happiness be antithetical to building resilience? How, in turn, can fostering resilience help cultivate happiness instead? Illustrate using examples of your own.
Dr. Kennedy clearly asserts that the responsibility of maintaining emotional and physical boundaries belongs to the parent. Why are boundaries important to the psychological safety of a child? Why does a child find it difficult to stick to these boundaries, and how may their inability to do so manifest in behavior? How can a parent enforce boundaries without harming their relationship with their child?
