'Being a parent is of course enormous fun, though it can be also extremely frightening. It is, at one and the same time, life's greatest joy and its biggest challenge', writes Steve Chalke, father of four in his latest book.

'From the moment they're born it's our responsibility to provide them with the generous and constant supply of time, security and love and care that they desperately need in order to truly thrive'.

'How to Succeed as a Working Parent' provides an interesting insight into taking the necessary steps to achieve the right balance between work and home. Success he defines as 'retaking control'.

The book is divided into easy-to-read practical sections covering issues such as: getting your values straight; dealing with guilt; stress; home budgeting; employers; childcare; the boundaries between life and work and the importance of communication. Illustrated by his own experiences and backed up by real-life case studies from working parents, this book explains the way forward in making those choices to achieve the right balance between home and work.

Sarah

www.parentalk.co.uk

"With chapter headings such as "Real mums wear dribble", "No straitjacket required" and "How do I deal with tantrums, telltales and trouble", this no-nonsense life support system for stressed mothers can't help but make you smile.

Throughout the book there are lots of handy tips for instant help such as, do your best to focus your attention on your family and not the dust lurking under the bed! I found this book to be informative, sensitive to real families and above all fun!"

Gill

www.parentalk.co.uk

"When I received this book I was initially sceptical because I am not a huge fan of "parenting books". I believe that we are all just doing the best that we can and we don't need a book to tell us where we are all going wrong - so we can spend the next month beating ourselves up!!!

However I decided to give it a go. Initially I found it quite hard going and the first chapter about Enneagrams!! was too technical and didn't make an awful lot of sense. The questions had 3 answers each and I did find it hard to choose 1 of them but I just tried to choose the closest one.