Customer Reviews

Because I Said So!: A Collection of 366 Insightful and Thought- Provoking Reflections on Parenting and Family Life

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is must reading for any one with children. You dont have to do everything in the book, however there is so much food for thought. My wife and I after reading this book decided to make some changes. It is amazing how quickly our children responded (ages 2,3,5) It was as if they wanted order, responsibility and to give appropriate respect. We sleep at night, our meals are a pleasure, our kids behave at home and in public, my wife and I have time to talk. Our kids are getting along every one is happier. I would strongly suggest this book. If you can stick to your guns you can make important changes. The thing is there is nothing in this book that isn't common sense.

I guess some people will be offended by Rosemond's views on spanking and obeying, but if what they were doing as parents was working, why are they reading parenting books? I've tried the "reason with the child" approach and it DOESN'T WORK. Why doesn't it? Because you can't reason with unreasonable people and children are, by nature and by definition, unreasonable.

It is true that Rosemond advocates returning to a more strict parenting mode -- meaning children obey their parents because their parents have been around longer and know what's best. So, if you are looking for an "attachment" parenting book, definitely look elsewhere. If you are looking for parenting tips that are based on common sense, old-fashioned discipline, John Rosemond is your man. Also, if you base your marriage and family on Christian values, there are Biblical references to this type of parenting.

By the way, Rosemond doesn't ENCOURAGE spanking and he really believes that most people who spank are doing it incorrectly. He says in his books that people don't have to spank to discipline effectively. So, instead of having a knee-jerk reaction to the work "spank" and dismissing his advice out of hand, try actually reading the books!

My husband and I are the parent of a strong-willed 4 year old and we also live far away from any family. This book has been our life saver. Almost all of the advice he gave in this book has helped in one way or another. It's the good, old-fashioned advice that my parents and grandparents would be giving us if we lived near them. Contrary to what people say, that kind of advice still works! My family is living proof of this. The format of his book broken down into 366 "daily devotions" makes it easy to read and understand. I thoroughly agree with his stand on spankings and how you should put your marriage first and make your children pay more attention to you than you do to them. Just following this advice has made a drastic improvement with my daughter's behavior in a short period of time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels that they are at the "end of their rope" with their kids' behavior.

First the Positive:
I like John Rosemond and I appreciate his advice. Even if I don't always agree with everything or use everything he says, I like most of his suggestions. This is good old fashioned parenting at it's best.

This book is easy to read. There are 366 short articles. Each article tackles one subject and provides some thoughts about how to deal with each subject. Some things covered are whining, spanking, chores not being done, discipline, etc.

My only complaint: These articles cover such a wide range of topics and a wide range of ages only a small portion of it is useful for me at any given time.

This book sits on my shelf and I use it as a reference tool. As we enter each stage of childhood, I refer to it to refresh my memory of what I read. There are many good suggestions in this book.

If you want to raise well behaved children that don't drive you and those around you to distraction, this is the book to get.

Having been raised in a middle-class, midwestern family in the fifties, I felt as though I had stepped back to the days of common-sense in child-rearing.

We are purchasing multiple copies of this, and other books by John Rosmond...one for each of our children, as a gift to our grandchildren.

Easy to read, each page drops quiet words of insight and humor, one or two paragraphs a day, just before bedtime. Or the first thing in the morning to start the day... a bit of laughter and wisdom with your coffee. Gives a perfect counter-balance to what you read in the paper about today's youth!

Be kind and thoughtful to each young parent you know, give them this book. It will probably reap rewards far greater than you can imagine... especially when those same young parents bring their children to your home for an extended visit!

A mother of four, grandmother of seven!

Every parent should get this book at the hospital when your child is born and study it for the first two years of your child's life and then put it all into action. I saw a speech by John Rosemond and I was hooked. I agree with him 150%, all these so called professionals have messed up child rearing and he makes perfect sense. He does not in any way promote spanking, but agrees there may be a time that it is needed as long as it is controlled and not out of anger. He states that children reared in the 50's may have only received 4 to 5 spankings in their entire childhood as compared to people I know spanking 4-5 times a week! He states that you do not have to spank a well-behaved, respectable child. I agree. I grew up in the 70's but all my parents had to do was give me "the look". I was at my wits end 10 months ago and slowly and but surely I now have a well behaved respectable 3 1/2 yr old who still does stuff he shouldn't but I have not had to spank him at all and he is happily blooming under a little bit of structured parental guidance. I can just give him "the look" and without any words he changes his behavior and my friends can't believe it. I wish all my friends would read this or any book by John Rosemond and use it as their parental bible. BUY IT, USE IT, AND ENJOY RAISING YOUR CHILD.

I am a professional nanny of 12 years and I have to say, reading this book changed my life and everything about the way I work! I have always been a very fun loving, yet strict caregiver but I have felt pulled between what my instinct tells me to do and what the parenting "experts" say. I have found myself being guilted into hours and hours of playing dress up, holding children while they throw temper tantrums and explaining my choices until I am red in the face to a small child who is not listening. I thought that was my job, and the job of any parent or caregiver. Although I wanted so bad to be able to say "no I will not play with you right now" I always was made to feel like I might harm their "self esteem" if I did not drop everything and consider how they might feel if left to play alone for a while. There are so many books on raising children and many of them focus on teaching you how to not harm your childs "delicate" self esteem. This book gave me permission to be a person, even while at work. I dont have to be a slave to a young child in oder for him/her to turn out right. In fact, I learned that I do them more justice when I refuse to be the 24/7 playmate/friend and just focus on making sure they are safe. After reading this book, I have been better able to guide parents into putting their foot down and no longer being owned by their children. This is an amazing book and I recommend it to anyone who refuses to allow children to be the center of the universe.

Every parent should get this book at the hospital when your child is born and study it for the first two years of your child's life and then put it all into action. I saw a speech by John Rosemond and I was hooked. I agree with him 150%, all these so called professionals have screwed up child rearing and he makes perfect sense. He does not in any way promote spanking, but agrees there may be a time that it is needed as long as it is controlled and not out of anger. He states that children reared in the 50's may have only received 4 to 5 spankings in their entire childhood as compared to people I know spanking 4-5 times a week! He states that you do not have to spank a well-behaved, respectable child. I agree. I grew up in the 70's but all my parents had to do was give me "the look". I was at my wits end 10 months ago and slowly and but surely I now have a well behaved respectable 3 1/2 yr old who still does stuff he shouldn't but I have not had to spank him at all and he is happily blooming under a little bit of structured parental guidance. I can just give him "the look" and without any words he changes his behavior and my friends can't believe it. I wish all my friends would read this or any book by John Rosemond and use it as their parental bible. BUY IT, USE IT, AND ENJOY RAISING YOUR CHILD.

I love this book. The passages are short enough to easily read 1 per day. The message John Rosemond is sending to parents is right on track! If you have kids, do yourself a favor and get this book- he has a no nonsense approach to child-rearing, like our grandparents had. His ideas have worked wonders in our house!

Not to worry, you couldn't raise a mindless robot if you tried! Children are naturally dynamic individuals, ever increasing in independence, and Dr. Rosemond just helps parents set guidelines for appropriate behavior within YOUR family. Too many parents today are overly-concerned with boosting self-esteem and being their child's friend and confidante more than being what they should be - a parent. That really leaves a heavy burden on the child to create or guess the rules. This advice is helpful to the child as it is to the parent. And it is for your child's own safety that they heed their parents.
Rest assured, they'll still rebel when they're teenagers!