By Becky Kennedy
My Personal Takeaways →Good Inside offers a paradigm shift in how to understand children’s behavior: kids are not bad, they are good people with underdeveloped skills struggling in hard moments. Dr. Becky Kennedy argues that the most effective parenting starts with believing your child is fundamentally good, then asking what skill they’re lacking rather than what consequence they deserve.
The practical model combines firmness and warmth — holding boundaries while staying connected, validating feelings while not capitulating to demands. Read this if you feel like you’re constantly reacting to behavior rather than building relationship. Implement it by choosing one phrase from the book per week — “I can see this is hard,” “I won’t let you do that and I love you” — and practicing it until it becomes instinct. This book changes how you see your child, which changes everything else.