Great Book and Tool for Parents
927084
Bought this book for my daughter and son-in-law who are raising 4 wonderful children.  It is insightful, inspirational, and down to earth.  Everything is based on Scripture and tried and true.  A must have for any parent serious about raising children to be lovers of God and filled with faith in this secular world we live in.
2997740
I highly recommend this book for parents. Mercedes does a wonderful job in reminding parents that it is okay to be an imperfect human and their family has a unique "parenting manual". She gives practical tips and information for families to connect in a more authentic and loving way. This book can help parents overcome feeling shamed about times of struggle and embrace the messiness of being human.
2198296
This is 'the book' for guiding parents of pre-teens and teens in their talks with today's children regarding sex.  Completely relevant and up to date in assessing the impact of internet, TV, and the - appropriately termed - 'hypersexualized world' our children are being impacted by.  Very helpful are the 'take it home' sections for parents contained throughout that prompt parents through answering questions to determine their own awareness and feelings, and give parents exercises to complete which create an action plan for beginning relevant discussions with their children.  Beyond a simple description of the 'birds and the bees' (which I knew my children already knew about) I had no idea how to begin my discussions with them in ways that would allow me to address my concerns while acknowledging their situations.  This book provides that education for parents, and does so in a way that creates discussions with their children of extreme value and respect for both.
3354403
Dr. Jenn's book is a must read for parents!  It is easy to follow, practical and supportive. While there are so many issues that busy parents confront on a daily basis, there is very little time left for reading on a variety of topics.  This book helps parents get to the crux of the issues very quickly and easily. Parents can read one chapter at a time and immediately put good information to use!  As a parent educator, I will recommend it to my parenting groups and clients!
985690
I am a parent of a child with TS and ADHD and I highly recommend this book.  It has been an excellent tool for home and school. Explains ADHD and gives wonderful strategies for parents and teachers in an easy to understand, all-inclusive book.  This book, as well as Dr. Kutscher's other books has helped me understand and advocate for my son.  It is useful to read before scheduled IEP and Sec. 504 school meetings in getting accommodations for the ADHD child.
2968836
This book is a great resource for Christian parents who want to equip their kids with the ability to defend their faith in today's culture and handle the tough questions that may come their way. Natasha Crain is a gifted writer who can take complex subjects and communicate them in a clear, down-to-earth manner for parents. I really liked the book's user-friendly format, and a great feature is the list of key points and step-by-step conversation guide at the end of each chapter. As a parent, I found this book to be very useful for not only answering my child's questions about God, but also for guiding conversations that deepen her understanding and faith. I highly recommend it to all parents and Sunday School teachers. I received a complementary copy from the publisher for my honest review.
4780370
I am the director of a Toddler through 6th grade Montesori School in New York. I am also the parent of two beautiful and capable daughters ages 9 and 11. I read a lot of books and many of them focus on learning, child  development, parenting, and families. Every once in a while I come across a great book. The kind of book that makes me want to give it to every teacher and parent in my school to read ( that's what I plan to do by the way!). The kind of book I can use in a lively book club discussion. The kind of book I use for discussion at faculty meetings-earmarked, written in, and well loved. The kind of book that I go back to and reread. This is that kind of book. If you buy one book on parenting this year year, this is the one.

Bruce Howlett and Caitlin Howlett have done an incredible job of digesting a huge mass of current educational and psychological research and making it accessible to the reader through stories. It is well organized, easy to read, and filled with important ideas. I absolutely love the action steps at the end of each chapter. If you are an overtired parent or an overworked teacher who says you don't have time to read another book, buy it for these action steps summaries.

We all want to raise cable kids, here is a practical guide to help us support our children on their journey to independence.
3632578
This is an excellent read! I was skeptical that this book would be useful for me being a mom of two young children (2 and 5 years old), but it has been very thought provoking and valuable. Many aspects of behavior and how it relates to screen use has already resonated with me as I observe my children. After reading this book I feel much more informed about what I'm seeing and now prepared to be able to make changes. The book is very user friendly and easy to follow. It helps to have personal anecdotes and constructive tools to help aid parents who want to change their children's (or their own) behaviors. I highly recommend this book.
1088495
Dr. Naumburg does a fantasic job of synthesizing the latest research on mindfulness.  More importantly, she gives parents the tools they need to be more mindful and non-reactive as they parent.  She also shows parents how to teach our children fun and easy mindful strategies for dealing with stress and frustration that will help them every day.  My kids are older than the age range suggested on the book, but I would definitely recommend Ready, Set, Breathe for parents with teens, too because this book is filled with great practical examples of how to incorporate mindfulness in any moment that people of all ages can benefit from.  In an era where we are all so busy, it is nice to be reminded that being calm and centered is only a breath away.
907150
This book is a wonderful resource for parents! The format of the book was great, I particularly enjoyed the short sections. As a mother of a toddler, the shorter sections made it easy to read when I only had a few minutes and makes it easier to reference for future needs. My husband is not a reader so when I asked him to read sections addressing issues we are having with our 2 year old, he had no trouble finishing since they are only a handful of pages. I agree with another reviewer that I couldn't think of a topic that I wish would have been covered. I have already recommended this book to friends of mine with a four month old. Every parent should have this book as a resource!
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
4964841
Beyond Smart is a great resource for parents of kids of all ages. The topics cover birth, toddlers, kindergarten readiness, school dilemmas, social issues, being an advocate for your child, math & science, learning to love writing and public speaking, and how to make the most of school vacations. There is also a great list of parenting resources in the back of the book that are super valuable.

It is well written and easy to read. Linda gets right to the point and offers real tips that you can use right away. I will definitely recommend this to all my mommy friends and give it as a teacher gift this year. You can read it cover to cover or use it as a resource when you need specific help. You can literally read for 10 minutes and have a good sense of what you want to do differently or how to approach an issue that you are dealing with.

I read two great parenting books this year that really made me stop and think -&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Beyond-Smart-Boosting-Your-Child-s-Social-Emotional-and-Academic-Potential/dp/0982345429/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Beyond Smart: Boosting Your Child's Social, Emotional, and Academic Potential</a>&nbsp;by Morgan and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/NurtureShock-New-Thinking-About-Children/dp/0446504122/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children</a>&nbsp;by Bronson and Merryman. Both are well researched and present the latest findings from a body of evidence, which I appreciate because I don't have time to pour over the data and figure out what is legit or not. What I love about Beyond Smart is that it goes even further than Nurture Shock to give you lots of practical tips for how to incorporate the findings into your life in a way that is manageable and doesn't make you feel guilty.

Definitely order the book and pass it around! This is one parenting book that will stay on my bookshelf and get some use for many years to come.
2598751
This book has some great ideas for you to follow for your child. It helped me to understand what she was going through. We sat down and read through it. The worksheets are incredibly helpful. It gave me some great ideas so our issues at hand became manageable and we were able to be victorious in projects. It's good to know that you aren't alone and some families are able to work through this and achieve goals.

The checklist in the first part of the book is my favorite. It highlights everything you need, even things you didn't even think needed help. It helped introduce conversation between my daughter and I so I could help her as much as possible.

I highly recommend this book to parents who are needing some help. It helps you from getting frustrated and helps to find a solution.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
3716205
The late Dr Latham has a legacy to be proud of. This wee gem of a book contains essential advice for any parent - it is the manual our kids should have come with. I originally bought Dr Latham's much larger and more comprehensive Postive Parenting, and it made a huge difference in my interactions with my children. I became much less stressed out and more confident. I knew which behavior to safely ignore and I understood the power of parental attention - both postive and negative in shaping my children's behavior.

But - there was a problem remaining - my husband was reluctant to study the text-book sized tome! I tried to explain things to him, but he wasn't convinced by my summary. He had an extremely authoritarian parenting style and he dismissed my explanations as being too soft, or 'letting the kids get away' with stuff. Because I was experiencing success with the children's behavior, My husband accepted that there was something to the method. In many instances he copied my actions but without understanding the underlying principles there were occaisions that ended in tears. So between his unwillingness to study the textbook himself, and dismissal of my explanations, we ended up going in circles with the children being angels for mum and playing up for dad and the divide widening almost daily.

Then I found this wonderful little precis of Dr Latham's work. It is small and concise enough for my husband to open, read a small section, and learn some new technique in a few minutes. It now has pride of place next to the toilet(!) where hubby can upskill himself painlessly and without taking up too much of his precious time. Our whole family has become more relaxed and co-operative, and the children are rebuilding a lovely relationship with their Dad. My husband will always have an authoritarian bent - but he respects the science behind Dr Latham's work and is gradually modifying his own behaviour as he experiences success with the children.

If you buy one parenting book this is the one to choose (especially if one parent is more interested than the other). Understanding the underlying principles of behavior will allow you to adapt them for any situation - as opposed to other parenting advice books which run into series of ten or more books with highly repetitive advice for every situation imagineable.

Postscript: I have seen criticism in other reviews of Dr Latham because he was a Mormon. What bigotted nonsense! He was a highly respected behavioral scientist and his work is based on science not religion. He has written a few books which adapt his science for both Mormon and Christian parents which you are free to buy or not (I did not), and which are clearly promoted as containing religious aspects. But this book, and the larger Positive Parenting, are valuable to parents of any(or no) creed.
2238524
This book is a great tool for parents who wish to follow the Bible's instruction for childrearing.  Tripp gives valuable insight into the heart issues behind behavior.  Rather than focusing on externals, this book will help you to understand yourself better and to shepherd your children as well.
3469234
This book is very practical for the "every day" parent.  Not only does the child's behavior improve, but the parent's as well! (First  hand experience speaking here!)
First and foremost, this book is written  at the average parent level of understanding.
Second, after reading  just the author's forward, instead of feeling like you've got to change  because you're such a BAD parent, you feel FREEDOM to become a BETTER  PARENT!
Third, the ideas in the book are GREAT and you come away with  an understanding that you should keep doing the things you are already  doing that work well, but have easy-to-use tips to tweek your parenting  skills into getting better behavior out of your child and yourself.
In  the final analysis, our family life was positively enriched by this book,  even if all it did was to help we, the parents, understand the motivations  of our children to PUSH OUR BUTTONS!
We've already bought two more copies  as new baby gifts for relatives!
2797343
This book is wonderful for parents to read with their child who is diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.  My daughter loves it because it is something she can read by herself and understand about ADD, I think it's an invaluable tool for a parent because it helps me understand about ADD as well.  The book has great worksheets throughout that are very helpful for parents to evaluate and see how their children feel and assess themselves.  I think this is a great book, especially if you would like to read along with your child or if you have an independent reader who loves to learn.
3416404
This is a wonderful book!  I wish I would have had this a few years ago but happy to have found it now.  We have a child with a very controlling personality who, at a very early age, would get so upset if something wasn't perfect.  If paper ripped or something spilled, they would have a meltdown.  We have tried to show them time after time that you can make something creative and new with the situation.  Hearing it from your parents and seeing it in print are two different things!  Our child LOVES to read so this is wonderful!  A wonderful idea that has been put into print!  Highly recommend for everyone.  A great teaching tool to help instill flexibility and positive thinking, and creatively addressing unexpected situations.  Also a great great great book for parents (new and old).  For "new" parents to find fun instead of frustration, and for "established" parents to remind them to find the fun in the small stuff!!!!
(Short book though .....wish it were longer because it is so good!)