Most helpful positive parenting book I've come across!
596374
It's so nice to see actual examples of positive parenting in action! I've read so much on positive parenting but seeing examples of the exact words to use make it so much easier for me! Thank you for sharing this!
4819617
The concept this book taught us of disciplining without emotion was a true awakening for us.  We were always getting louder with more threats and longer time-outs...none of which were working to stop the misbehavior and we were becoming more and more frustrated as parents.  This book helped us get the cooperation from our kids that we had not been able to achieve before we read this book.  The tone in our home has become calmer and we have had more "fun" time with our children.  For our toddler we also found THE POCKET PARENT to be an even more helpful guide as it is exclusively written for parents of 2's, 3's, 4's & 5's in quick bullets of advice for addressing challenging behaviors.

These to books have changed our daily communication with our children for the better.  Wonderful positive discipline guidance!!!
841107
This book was recommended to me by a friend after I expressed my frustration with my young teen. I am so glad that she did. I found this book tremendously helpful for several reasons:

1. The behaviour of my kids is completely normal, albeit frustrating. This was an enormous relief. Wolf spent a lot of time explaining the normal development of both boys and girls and it was like a light went on for me. It helped make me more understanding and less annoyed and helped me choose how to react.
2. Our laments that we would never have acted this way with our parents are in fact well-founded. Today's teens are different because as a society we have correctly agreed not to wallop our kids and have thus removed the element of fear and a powerful controlling element from the parenting equation. Now that we understand that kids are acting true to their nature and we can't take them to the wood shed for it, how do we respond?
3. Wolf outlines at length how to respond to a variety of situations with your teen. Hold firm. Set expectations. Make it all clear.

This book has given me renewed confidence as we enter a new era of parenting. The toddler stage seems like a cakewalk! But with Wolf's advice and insight I am hoping that there will still be room for some cake as we navigate the teen years. Very helpful read.
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.
487193
This is currently my favourite parenting book. The authors present a positive parenting approach, while acknowledging that it is often hard to feel positive about parenting little kids. Without judgment, they address how to help parents keep their cool in the difficult moments. The focus is on building positive relationships with kids so that the difficult moments become more rare and less explosive. The first half of the book is a description of different strategies such as Acknowledge Feelings with Words and Take Action without Insult and the theories behind them. The second part of the books is a collection of specific situations which usually result in fights or tears like Morning Madness and Sibling Rivalry and how to apply the strategies to help. The authors are realistic in their expectations of parents in our modern world, and the advice they present has already made a difference in my home. I recommend this book to anyone in the throes of toddlerdom or preschoolhood.
1479547
This book has given me not just useful  tools as a parent but to use in my everyday life. Finding that CALM as an everyday tool has created positive change. Although some of it seemed familiar the clarity and simplicity  of how it is presented meant I actually stated using the techniques much more often with fantastic results!! I now use this in my parenting classes and the response has been really positive with mums saying how they forgot to recognise they are doing their best and its ok! It's great to dip in on a bad day and find a  word of wisdom or reminder to keep positive and connected. Highly recommend especially to new mums as a shortcut to being the best mum you can be!
828760
I've taken a few parenting classes but this book has by far helped me the most with 3 kids at home. I could identify almost immediately why my oldest was getting so moody sometimes and get ahead of the temper tantrums with my 5 year old. I suggest for all parents and caregivers!! I'll be passing this on to my daycare teachers for my son when I am done.
1529977
As a mom of five children, I have read many parenting books in my search to find balance and happiness for five very different children. The Happy Kid provides such a practical positive outlook with real life tools we all can use! Encouraging us to be present and playful and let kids be kids can be such a challenge, yet once we try, it brings so much joy to them and to us ! Great read!
45164
I think this book is really really great. When I was reaching out for others to share experiences in parenting a young teen and being a rad mom ... There just wasn't much there.
There are so many books for birth and pregnancy and toddlers and all that. But Parenting teenagers is the next big step in parenting. And there is no book that is keeping up with the times.
Whatever Mom - Rings true! Its comforting, helpful, witty, wise and sweet. I'm glad this book is here! And yes, I might be prejudiced cuz I'm all quoted in the book because I filled out her survey questions and I'm a "hip mama". BUT, I don't know. It's a darn sweet book!
4608420
I have also read numerous parenting books and this one is by FAR my favorite.  To answer the reviewer of "Nothing New", while you will find some of the concepts in other books, the parenting techniques in this book are what makes it great.  The strategies are practical, easy to implement, highly effective AND they apply to children of all ages - adults included.

I read about Susan Stiffelman and her book on one of my online parenting groups.  After reading the book I also signed up for her 30 day Parenting Cyber-Class to help me incorporate her methods into my daily life.  Thank you Susan for making me a better parent!

For more information on Susan Stiffelman's Cyber-Class visit her web site:
[...]
1776109
I have read plenty of parenting books, but this one gets my vote! I didn't expect to find so much good information about the specific topics that I care about. Unlike other books, that all seem to follow the classroom version of how to raise a child, THIS book immediately tackled subjects that I was curious about and dealt with many difficult topics that, today, are more present than ever. It is full of great ideas, and written in a way that left me feeling encouraged. Thank you Randa!!
2537672
This is an excellent book!  Instead of focusing on just behavior, it gives easy, but detailed ways to build a relationship with your children.  When a parent builds a healthy relationship, the behavior is only one factor instead of the focus.  I have also met the authors in a workshop & they are friendly as well as educated & succesful parents.  I have read my share of parenting books-this is my favorite!
145050
This is a wonderful parenting book that has really helped the way I think about my interactions with my kids. A lot of parenting books make me feel depressed, giving me "parental guilt", but this one really has new ideas, helping you look at your own thoughts and reactions to a struggle and make the changes within. (I especially liked that she used Byron Katie's work as a way to really do "the work" around struggles, I have been looking for just this about parenting and was not able to find it before.) These are the changes that can really work. I feel like this is a book I can read again and again as a reminder, and that's why I bought it after I had read a borrowed copy.  I knew I'd be referring back to it all the way through the teen years. And underlining important ideas!
2709743
This is probably the most helpful book on parenting I have ever read.  I gave up on parenting books about 5 years ago when I realized the cookie-cutter approaches were not easily applied to my (and my son's) non-cookie-cutter lives!  I purchased this book based on a review of a different book, where this book was recommended instead.  I am really glad I did because from the very first exercise, it improved my whole outlook on my life with my teen.

The authors suggest to read the book through cover to cover first, then go through it chapter by chapter, working the exercises.  I'm about half-way through the first read and I have already used many of the exercises (unofficially) to help me put things into perspective, regain sanity when teenage craziness is in full swing and have even used it in dealing with my ex-husband (who often acts like an adolescent!).

I have a great kid and a great life.  This book helps remind me of that and also to know that I am not alone!
1214119
I have 2 girls (ages 3 and 5) and bought this book because we were struggling with discipline for the little one. I would not have described her behavior as "defiant" - more just regular 3-year-old antics, but still undesirable behaviors that we wanted to nip in the bud.

I am SO GLAD I got this book! Kazdin encapsulates a lot of what I already knew from parenting experience. I can't say there is anything in this book that seemed surprising or brand new. However, he pulls it all together into a more systematic "program" that is really easy to use. We've been doing a points program for 1 week now and already our dynamic has changed. The program is giving me a new way to relate to both of my kids, not just our "challenging" one. It sets the stage in advance for good behavior, instead of waiting for a problem and then reacting negatively. Both of my kids are doing well with the program and have started asking for other tasks they can do to earn more points. Best of all, in just a few days I feel like I'm enjoying my kids more and having more fun with them. What parent doesn't want that?

Kazdin also provides really helpful suggestions for program modifications based on the child's age, the severity of the issue, having more than 1 child in the house, how to add other behaviors or tweak the program, and (importantly) how to phase out the program so you're not stuck awarding points forever. I have read a lot of parenting books over the years, and I consider this to be at the top of the list in terms of useful, specific advice, and positive outcome from using the program.
2541976
My hubby and I first learned about the National Association of Biblical Parenting when we attended a conference last October.  We purchased a few other books by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller and have been devouring them at home.  You see at that time, we were feeling a bit desperate.  Our 4-year-old was putting me through the ringer with his behaviors.  You name it, I feel like we were living it.  And in spite of finally living out my dream of being a full time at home Momma, I was having some serious doubts about my ability to parent this little guy.  In short, he was basically running our family!
A few months and a few books later, our household is much different.  There is a more peace, far fewer behaviors and huge growth and changes in our little guy.  That's when I heard about the new book and the opportunity to serve on the launch team.  I jumped at the opportunity to share these strategies with other parents who might feel as though I did.

Here are my thoughts on Motivate Your Child:

 Part 1 - Moral Development in Children:
This section focuses on helping your child recognize and respond to both external and internal motivations, as well as strategies for helping them to become more independent in doing what needs to be done in family life.

Part 2 - Spiritual Development in Children:
This sections focuses on the importance of developing your child's spiritual relationship with God through weekly family time, relationships building as well as living your faith out in front of your children.

There were so many useful nuggets for my family that I would likely produce a whole new book.  I'll spare you that.  Some notable changes within our family since reading this book are:

  Our 4-year-old now feeds the dog both morning and night with very few reminders.  If he forgets, we prompt him to check his room to make sure all morning responsibilities are done (am feeding) or stand near the sign posted in the living room (pm feeding).  We have only had to do that a handful to times.

  The words initiative, responsibility and honor are currently used daily in conversations as we identify behaviors driven by them in our son.  He has a great love of language and so we have had some pretty awesome conversations about what these words mean and why they are important.

  All this conversations has lead to some pretty awesome discussions about God and Jesus.  And that's sent us back into my son's Bible.  I love that specific stories are always referenced with where to find them in the Bible.  It gives me an opportunity to directly connect what I'm learning back to the Bible in context, as well as an opportunity to find the passage in my son's Bible to further our conversations.

But the biggest nugget I  have walked away from after reading this book, is that it's not just my son who needed to make a few heart adjustments.  Through reading this book, I have adjusted the way I would have responded to a situation on many occasions.  It has given me pause to reflect on what my own conscience and heart are reflecting and when I have stopped and allowed myself to change my own heart the situation resolved for the better 100% of the time.

Here are the links to my other posts on this book that provide some pretty cool illustrations of the change in my little guy!  I'm so proud of the growth in him, and in our family in general.
4902415
I am so grateful to have come across this book - it is easy to read, beautifully written, and the author's wisdom and experience is evident from the very first page. He not only convinces the reader that doing LESS is the secret to raising thriving, happy, connected children, but most importantly, he clearly explains HOW to do this. It has really helped to shift my mindset to a different place and I'm a much happier parent since reading this book. Bedtimes are so much more peaceful and easy in our house now (I have children aged 3, 5 & 7yrs) and I have been able to help my 3 year old heal a significant chunk of anxiety such that he is now a completely different boy!
I highly recommend it! Buy it!