2015 Summer Reading List for the Sandwich Generation
Do you have a summer reading list? If not, you should. Reading is a great way to keep your mind sharp, to help pass a rainy afternoon, and to relax before bed. With books, you can go on an adventure without leaving your chair, choose a title that makes you laugh, or use them as a way to learn new skills.
As a member of the sandwich generation, balancing kiddos and aging parents, now is the perfect time to read up on topics that affect your life. Here are lists of great books that focus on eldercare, parenting, and balancing your busy life. Do you have friends who are also Club Sandwich members? Use this list to start a book club! You can read these books at the same time, swap titles, discuss what you read, and share your thoughts.
Eldercare
1. A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents and Ourselves by Jane Gross
2. The Overwhelmed Women’s Guide to Caring for Aging Parents by Julie-Allyson Leron
3. The Sandwich Generation’s Guide to Eldercare by Kimberly Wickert MRC CRC
4. Dr. Ruth’s Guide for the Alzheimer’s Caregiver: How to Care for Your Loved One Without Getting Overwhelmed and Without Doing it All Yourself by Dr. Ruth Westheimer
5. They’re Your Parents Too!: How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents’ Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy by Francie Russd
6. Coping with Your Difficult Older Parent: A Guide for Stressed-Out Children by Grace Lebow, Barbara Kane, and Irwin Lebow
Want more titles on eldercare? Check out our post 8 Health Focused Books for Elders and Their Caregivers for even more great reading suggestions!
Parenting
7. The 5 Love Languages of Children by Gary D Chapman
8. The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel
9. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber
10. Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne
11. Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker
12. Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too by Adele Faber
13. Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons by Meg Meeker
14. The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity by Meg Meeker
Balancing Life
15. Strength for the Sandwich Generation: Help to Thrive While Simultaneously Caring for Our Kids and Our Aging Parents by Kristine Bertini
16. One Year to an Organized Life: From Your Closets to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized for Good by Regina Leeds
17. Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath
18. The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work by Christine Carter Ph.D.
19. The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin
20. Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life by Gretchen Rubin
What books are you excited to read this summer? Do you have any reading suggestions for other members of the sandwich generation? We LOVE reading your thoughts, comments, and suggestions, so be sure to leave the below!
Photo courtesy of Becky Lai on Flickr.
