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The Kids Are All Right: Parenting with Confidence in an Uncertain World
Audible Audiobook – UnabridgedGabrielle Stanley Blair (Author, Narrator), & 2 more
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (57)
From Design Mom blogger Gabrielle Blair and her husband, Ben Blair, a unique guide that subverts the concept of "perfect parenting" by embracing uncertainty.
Gabrielle and Ben Blair have been raising kids for over two decades. Through the years, they’ve charted their own unconventional path: working from home before remote work was a thing; uprooting their kids four, five, six times–including a move to France where they enrolled in local schools without knowing the language. It’s been a unique parenting journey characterized by experimentation, trial and error, decisions prompted by financial or psychological necessity, varying levels of anxiety and tension, despair, and hope. This unique path turned out to be fertile soil for growing independent, resilient, and creative kids, and a family that is genuinely close and truly enjoys each other’s company.
With this book they share how they did it, and how we can too: by letting go of tired expectations of what it means to be a good parent (focus less on grades and more on seeing your kid for who they are); by accepting that the old rules won’t necessarily apply in the future (changes in higher ed and career-building are evolving at a rapid pace) and instead focus on making your time with your kids one of connection, adventure, shared projects, creativity and joy. And it doesn’t require moving to France!
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©2024 Gabrielle Stanley Blair and Ben Blair (P)2024 Workman Publishing Company
Listening Length
4 hours and 28 minutes
Author
Gabrielle Stanley Blair, see all
Read & ListenSwitch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible narration with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $14.99 after you buy the Kindle book.
Product details
Listening Length 4 hours and 28 minutes
Author Gabrielle Stanley Blair, Ben Blair
Narrator Gabrielle Stanley Blair, Ben Blair
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date 15 October 2024
Publisher Workman Publishing Company
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0CS3W1XFZ
Best Sellers Rank 125,352 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
131 in Parenting Teenagers (Audible Books & Originals)
557 in Parenting Teenagers (Books)
3,683 in Relationships (Audible Books & Originals)
Customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
Yoko Konoha
5.0 out of 5 stars Naturally becoming familiar with different cultures!Reviewed in Canada on 4 November 2024
Verified Purchase
I loved Ben and Gabrielle's parenting style which is that the parents having joy with many new experiences raising their children in France so that children could naturally become familiar with different cultures. I also left the reliable path and moved from Japan to Canada to raise my children, so this gave me an insight of global standards for child-rearing compared to France or US. I am envious of the way the eight-member family is living in harmony, turning their experiences of hardship and success into joy.
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Mcc
5.0 out of 5 stars Ben and Gabrielle are All RightReviewed in the United States on 3 December 2024
Verified Purchase
And so are their kids! Straightforward and grounded, with the kindness and generosity fans have come to love from Design Mom and her fabulous fam, this book uplifts and encourages parents with its freeing messages. My takeaway is that parenting calls for profound creativity, and that love should be our North Star. It was freeing to read of the Blair family’s many turns, and to understand how disruptions later turned out…fine, and often way better than fine. I especially loved the idea of letting go of the single-path-to-success fallacy. That concept is a scourge, and the Blair family has brilliantly ditched it, seemingly relishing the freedom of writing their own life story, without subscribing to the rigid constraints of how things “should” be done. Give this book as a gift to a weary parent who worries they might be doing it all wrong. They may well find refuge and inspiration here.
Report
stewygirl
5.0 out of 5 stars What a breath of fresh air in parenting books!Reviewed in the United States on 22 October 2024
Verified Purchase
This book is a mix of memoir and umbrella advice/guiding principles for parenting. As parents, we make so many decisions all day long for years! It leads to a lot of second guessing and fear about making wrong choices and how those choices impact our kids in the short and long term. The Blairs do such a nice job of showing how they've created a family culture for their own kids and also how they've changed and adapted over time because of what the family or kids needed/desired.
This book does not tell you "YOU MUST DO THESE THINGS OR ELSE [enter bad thing here] WILL HAPPEN" instead it shows you their decision making process and what they've leaned into as parents so that readers can have similar thought-processes within their own families. In fact, readers may have those discussions and come to completely different answers than what the Blairs have decided. And that's OK. What matters is that the culture readers establish within their families rings true for them and, the Blairs I think would say, is a source of joy and safety and curiosity.
Deep breaths, parents. You are doing great!
Read less
Report
Angie Swope
5.0 out of 5 stars Bonus MomReviewed in the United States on 17 October 2024
Verified Purchase
I’m a stepmom- a “bonus parent” to three teenagers with whom I am completely obsessed. I was worried that this book would make me feel sad, as lots of things big and small often do, at all the things I’ve missed out on in their lives. I didn’t know if it would even apply to me, since I wasn’t there for so many of the formative decisions about how they were raised. I was so relieved and overjoyed that it felt quite the opposite. I found it so joyful to read about all the things we have to look forward to as a family and all the ways I can impact their future (hopefully a future where we are as close as the Blairs are) after all- their lives are still just beginning!!
I’ve sometimes worried that my lack of anxiety and fear and parenting trauma were the result of not knowing them when they were fragile tiny creatures- just another symptom of being the “other mother.” But this book made me feel so confident that it’s okay to have a different style and not be influenced by the pressure to always be freaking out about everything. And hey- teenagers are plenty fragile, and I’m so thankful to be here now!
All that to say, parenting has been an unexpected JOY in my life and I always thought that meant I was doing it wrong - thank you so much Ben and Gabrielle for validating this path- I hope many many others join us on it because of the wisdom you’ve given us in this book <3
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Darren J Corey
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a parenting book that doesn’t add more stress to your life!Reviewed in the United States on 17 January 2025
Verified Purchase
The is a reassuring parenting book! Not guilt stress inducing, like so many.
Full of tips and stories to leave you feeling like you and your kids will both be ok!
Report
From other countries
Yoko Konoha
5.0 out of 5 stars Naturally becoming familiar with different cultures!
Reviewed in Canada on 4 November 2024
Verified Purchase
I loved Ben and Gabrielle's parenting style which is that the parents having joy with many new experiences raising their children in France so that children could naturally become familiar with different cultures. I also left the reliable path and moved from Japan to Canada to raise my children, so this gave me an insight of global standards for child-rearing compared to France or US. I am envious of the way the eight-member family is living in harmony, turning their experiences of hardship and success into joy.
Report
Mcc
5.0 out of 5 stars Ben and Gabrielle are All Right
Reviewed in the United States on 3 December 2024
Verified Purchase
And so are their kids! Straightforward and grounded, with the kindness and generosity fans have come to love from Design Mom and her fabulous fam, this book uplifts and encourages parents with its freeing messages. My takeaway is that parenting calls for profound creativity, and that love should be our North Star. It was freeing to read of the Blair family’s many turns, and to understand how disruptions later turned out…fine, and often way better than fine. I especially loved the idea of letting go of the single-path-to-success fallacy. That concept is a scourge, and the Blair family has brilliantly ditched it, seemingly relishing the freedom of writing their own life story, without subscribing to the rigid constraints of how things “should” be done. Give this book as a gift to a weary parent who worries they might be doing it all wrong. They may well find refuge and inspiration here.
One person found this helpful
Report
stewygirl
5.0 out of 5 stars What a breath of fresh air in parenting books!
Reviewed in the United States on 22 October 2024
Verified Purchase
This book is a mix of memoir and umbrella advice/guiding principles for parenting. As parents, we make so many decisions all day long for years! It leads to a lot of second guessing and fear about making wrong choices and how those choices impact our kids in the short and long term. The Blairs do such a nice job of showing how they've created a family culture for their own kids and also how they've changed and adapted over time because of what the family or kids needed/desired.
This book does not tell you "YOU MUST DO THESE THINGS OR ELSE [enter bad thing here] WILL HAPPEN" instead it shows you their decision making process and what they've leaned into as parents so that readers can have similar thought-processes within their own families. In fact, readers may have those discussions and come to completely different answers than what the Blairs have decided. And that's OK. What matters is that the culture readers establish within their families rings true for them and, the Blairs I think would say, is a source of joy and safety and curiosity.
Deep breaths, parents. You are doing great!
Report
Angie Swope
5.0 out of 5 stars Bonus Mom
Reviewed in the United States on 17 October 2024
Verified Purchase
I’m a stepmom- a “bonus parent” to three teenagers with whom I am completely obsessed. I was worried that this book would make me feel sad, as lots of things big and small often do, at all the things I’ve missed out on in their lives. I didn’t know if it would even apply to me, since I wasn’t there for so many of the formative decisions about how they were raised. I was so relieved and overjoyed that it felt quite the opposite. I found it so joyful to read about all the things we have to look forward to as a family and all the ways I can impact their future (hopefully a future where we are as close as the Blairs are) after all- their lives are still just beginning!!
I’ve sometimes worried that my lack of anxiety and fear and parenting trauma were the result of not knowing them when they were fragile tiny creatures- just another symptom of being the “other mother.” But this book made me feel so confident that it’s okay to have a different style and not be influenced by the pressure to always be freaking out about everything. And hey- teenagers are plenty fragile, and I’m so thankful to be here now!
All that to say, parenting has been an unexpected JOY in my life and I always thought that meant I was doing it wrong - thank you so much Ben and Gabrielle for validating this path- I hope many many others join us on it because of the wisdom you’ve given us in this book <3
2 people found this helpful
Report
Darren J Corey
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a parenting book that doesn’t add more stress to your life!
Reviewed in the United States on 17 January 2025
Verified Purchase
The is a reassuring parenting book! Not guilt stress inducing, like so many.
Full of tips and stories to leave you feeling like you and your kids will both be ok!
Report
Breann C
5.0 out of 5 stars Valid for Neurodivergent Families
Reviewed in the United States on 24 October 2024
Verified Purchase
I'm a neurodivergent mom to 2 neurodivergent kids and I was hopeful that some of the parenting advice in this book would land with our uniquely wired household, so I preordered the book.
After reading, I can whole heartedly say that if you too are raising high masking kids with invisible disabilities, you will find SO MUCH value in this book.
It was so refreshing to read about the various pathways to success and drop all the "shoulds" with regard to schooling & screen time. It's rare that I feel seen and validated by parenting advice from folks who aren't expressly part of the neurodivergent community, but Ben and Gabby have written a neuro-affirming book that I feel confident to recommend to my ND community.
Thank you for writing a parenting book that makes me feel better, not worse about my parenting journey.
- A high masking AuDHD mom
One person found this helpful
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Nichole F
5.0 out of 5 stars What A Breath of Fresh Air!
Reviewed in the United States on 16 October 2024
Verified Purchase
I have followed Gabrielle for years, and have listened to her and Ben's book interviews and recent lives and reels.... and am now reading this long-awaited book.
As someone who stepped away from the "reliable path" (and started unschooling) years ago, I just have to say how refreshing it is to have some validation about rejecting manufactured parenting stress from parents a decade+ ahead of me, and to also have some new ideas about how to continue to build a family culture that facilitates lifelong relationships.
I do not have very healthy relationships with siblings and it often feels like I'm definitely "faking it til I make it" over here. Ben and Gabrielle's book (and family life) is validating to the idea that I can hold dreams of cohesiveness with soft hands and ALSO build something different than I've experienced.
This is a book that offers both reason and hope for the modern-day parenting experience.
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Mantra G. Raffel
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely loved it!
Reviewed in the United States on 24 October 2024
Verified Purchase
This slim, beautifully designed book is packed with gems. My kids are 17 and 13 and boy do I wish I had this book 10 years ago! I especially loved the section on creating family traditions (relieved to learn it only takes doing something a couple times to make it a “tradition”) and screen time (it’s not the screens themselves that are bad, it’s mindless use of screens!). Given my oldest is getting ready for college next year, I especially loved the section on building positive adult relations and how to keep them coming back when the power shifts to KIDS deciding when and how often to stay in touch. Thanks Gabriel and Ben!
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M.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Collection on Confident, Intentional Parenting
Reviewed in the United States on 29 October 2024
Verified Purchase
I have 3 children who range in age from 1 to 8 years old. This book has gotten me excited to talk with my husband about our family culture and our current and future relationships with our kids. It has so many gems of ideas to consider when guiding your child through life. I really appreciate that it encourages readers to pick what’s right for our family and our kids, not what society may be telling us is necessary. These gems can help guide parents to co-create with their children meaningful and enriched relationships and lives. I especially loved the chapters on building a family culture with intention, and working together. I’ll be sharing this book with all of my parent friends.
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Kris Tina
5.0 out of 5 stars I'm still thinking about this one-
Reviewed in the United States on 24 October 2024
Verified Purchase
It is so easy for me to get overwhelmed with parenting books - this book was accessible (so easy to read) and it left me thinking about what I could do to create the family life and culture that I want. Particular favorite sections were about setting up my home to allow for the types of experiences I want to have with my children, focusing on what I want my relationship to look like with my children in the future and how I can get there, I love the idea of using screens as a tool instead of thinking them as the sole source of destruction in my children's childhood, and then of course reframing the idea that there is one correct path. I am not easily swayed and this book is still sticking with me. I finished it and immediately gave it to my husband to also read.
One person found this helpful
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