Customer Reviews

Choking on the Silver Spoon: Keeping Your Kids Healthy, Wealthy and Wise in a Land of Plenty

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read Choking on the Silver Spoon in one night. I was intrigued by the title and found the book to be every bit as engaging as its title. Choking was written primarily for affluent parents, financial counselors, and others involved with the management of wealth, however every parent who cares about rearing happy, well-adjusted children would greatly benefit from the lessons found therein. How do you raise children with solid values, self-esteem, empathy, generosity and what my parents called "good character?" Dr. Buffone is an experienced therapist who draws on years of practice helping parents do just that.

Today's children are growing up in a competitive, consumer-driven world bombarded by ads for must-have toys no child dares be without. They learn early to become avid consumers and spend the rest of their lives engaged in attainment and acquisition, often missing what is really important and beautiful in life. As Dr. Buffone points out, busy parents give things to children instead of their time, and children come to value little as a result, often searching for happiness in materialism and falling sadly short. Dr. Buffone's easy to follow methods, part Tough Love, part Pure Love, work for children of any age, though he readily admits the longer a child suffers from "affluenza" the harder it is to cure.

The final chapters involve family wealth counseling and legacy planning. Even if you have only a small retirement nest egg to pass on, the book offers valuable insights regarding distribution options and their consequences. I highly recommend Choking on the Silver Spoon to every parent or parent-to-be, grandparent, teacher, and anyone involved in the care and nurture of children.

Choking On The Silver Spoon: Keeping Your Kids Healthy, Wealthy And Wise In A Land Of Plenty by Gary Buffone (a practicing licensed psychologist and Director, The Family Business Century, Byron Harless Consulting, Jacksonville, Florida) is a very practical and accessibly written parenting guide meant for parents everywhere, whether raising toddlers, dealing with difficult teenagers, or keeping in touch with their adult children. Choking On The Silver Spoon deals with the very serious problem of handling children and money matters in a fair and balanced manner that will not "spoil" children, but rather teach them the true value of hard-earned wages, give them initiative to achieve, and help them better succeed financially when on their own. Of special note are the "five laws": The Law Of Necessity; The Law Of Loving Limits; The Law Of Reciprocity; The Law Of Fiscal Responsibility; and The Law of Example. This is superbly presented and highly recommended primer for passing down financial survival skills and endearing a healthy respect for work and the fruits of honest labor.

How do rich kids get to be such brats? Have you ever wanted to explain to your kids (& yourself!) what money is & is not, & what it can & cannot do? Then CHOKING ON THE SILVER SPOON is a good place to start.

Dr. Gary Buffone, advisor to the affluent, has written a readable & engaging guide which covers:
When Wealth Cripples: The Monetarily Mangled; Why Parents Worry; Recognizing the Silver Spoon Syndrome; Is Your Child a Silver-Spooner?; The Rising Tide of Wealth in America, & much more.

He explains why Money Can't Buy Them Love & how to go about Curing the Plague of Prosperity. & then he sets forth The Five Immutable Laws of Financial Parenting:
-- of Necessity
-- of Loving Limits
-- of Reciprocity
-- of Fiscal Responsibility
-- of Example.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends CHOKING ON THE SILVER SPOON for all parents (rich & not-so-rich) who want to raise their children with a better grasp of what money means in the scheme of things, & how having it affects your life.

As a parent who's worried about how our success would affect our kids, I found this book to be just what the doctor ordered. The brief tests and down-to-earth advice made it easy to take the information and use it with some of the problems we've had with our "entitled" teenager and bright but stuggling college-bound adult child. Very readable and a reference I'll keep handy for the years to come.

Having read this book I am reminded that "common sense" is not all that common, especially among the affluent and educated strata of American society. Dr. Buffone nicely summarizes the symptoms and problems associated with substituting material things (that money can buy) for true personal significance gained through committed human relationships, serving others and sacrificially contributing to a greater good. More importantly, Dr. Buffone provides a systematic way of addressing the acute and long-term problem(s) associated with "affluenza". The text is filled with self-exams that help with diagnosis and understanding of the problem, as well as clearly outlined guidelines for addressing the same. I would recommend the book to anyone who is himself or herself struggling with a distorted perspective of the true value of material wealth.

I highly recommend this book for parents who love there kids enough to work at raising them to be productive and successful individuals in a "give me" society. This book is an excellent resource for families of silver spooners as well as anyone raising children in a society that encourages getting something for nothing. I have a group of friends who are reading this book in a book club and discussing it weekly.

I found this book an easy, engaging read. Many of us have spent a great deal of time obtaining, and protecting our financial gains. Mr. Buffone's book provides simple and informed advice (based on personal examples) on wealth's potential effects on our greatest assets- our children. In my opinion- a must read.

"Choking on the Silver Spoon" is a realistic, empathetic, and well thought out program for dealing with complexities and stress concerning money, parents, and children. If you feel trapped in any way by financial and/or discipline matters, this book will pay back dividends for many generations.

This book offers great advice and wisdom about raising motivated, healthy kids in a society where money, materialism, and instant gratification rule. This book is not just for the wealthy. Highly recommend it.

This book is easy to understand and actually kind of scary how it relates to your own life. It's a book that all parents should read to help their children with life in general. You don't have to be wealthy to read this book....it's for all incomes. You don't have to be wealthy to have a spoiled child that expects too much either. Being a single parent, I'm grateful there are books to give advice on ways to help your child grow up to be responsible. It's common sense really....but to have it in black and white and know your not the only one with issues is comforting. Thanks so much!