The Essentials of Discipline

I have yet to meet parents who haven't--at some point in their child's life--wished that he/she had been born with an instruction manual. While certainly not the answer to all situations, The Essentials of Discipline series will go a long way in helping moms and dads "troubleshoot" problems with their offspring. The first volume starts with the toddler and preschool years, the second picks up with the middle years (ages 5-11), and the final volume tackles the teenage years. As the mother of four teenagers, I was more than a little curious to see what the "teen" volume had to offer, especially since many of the materials I have come across concerning parenting teens are created by people who have spent years studying adolescents but never actually lived with them (believe me, there is a difference). Cambridge Educational has resisted the temptation to use scripted scenes with actors and has instead featured real teens and their parents working together to solve a wide array of behavioral problems. Topics range from night owl syndrome and the bedroom that should be legally condemned. to the more serious DUI and drug problems, as teens and parents discuss the situation and authors and psychologists offer helpful suggestions to the family. In the process, many parenting skills are introduced to assist parents in teaching teens to learn problem-solving skills, deal with natural consequences, communicate (parents need to learn to lecture less and listen more), and develop a strong, positive self-image as well as nurture their own opinions. Most parents will find this series, which presents timely, realistic situations, to be very helpful. I especially appreciated that the film pointed out that at this stage in their lives teens are going to make mistakes--and that the goal is to turn the errors into positive learning experiences that strengthen the parent-child relationship. Parents are encouraged to "choose their battles," allowing children to have a chance to have some control over their lives, and reminded that many solutions take time and patience and sometimes parents just have to ride out the hormone wave. In addition to parents, and child/family psychology majors, this series would be especially good for a high school life skills curriculum. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)