The Entitlement-Free Child: Raising Confident and Responsible Kids in a "Me, Mine, Now!" Culture [Paperback]

Karen Deerwester (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2009

Raising confident and responsible kids in a "me, mine, now!" culture

In a world of quick fixes and instant gratification, The Entitlement-Free Child is your essential resource for how and when to say no, how and when to praise, how to handle age-appropriate challenges, and how to set reasonable expectations—all while maintaining unconditional love.

Expert advice for the newest and most in-demand parenting hot-button issue. Parenting expert Karen Deerwester offers hundreds of practical strategies and hands-on tips to guide you through today's confusing parenting situations at home and in public, including:

• Cell phones
• Eating out
• Birthday parties
• Bossiness
• Teacher conflicts
• Allowances
• Bickering siblings
• Dinnertime demands

Put an end to the stubbornness, disrespect, and social problems now by giving your child the resourcefulness to get what she needs and the confidence to respect the needs of others. The Entitlement-Free Child is the new essential resource for 21st-century parenting. Unlock your child's potential today!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Karen Deerwester is the owner of Family Time Coaching and Consulting and is a highly respected speaker and consultant for parents and educators. Karen gives parents practical and personal parenting solutions through her one-on-one coaching, weekly classes and seminars, and writing for South Florida Parenting magazine, FamilyTimeInc.com, and BlueSuitMom.com. She is also featured regularly on numerous other parenting websites. She has appeared on MSNBC, NBC, and NPR, as well as in Parents and Parenting magazines. Her other books include The Playskool Guide to Potty Training (Sourcebooks, 2008) and The Potty Training Answer Book (Sourcebooks, 2007), which won the 2008 NAPPA Gold Award for parenting resources.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc. (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140221510X
• ISBN-13: 978-1402215100
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good points of view, but not a great study, September 6, 2009

By 

Middlesexnj (North Brunswick, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Entitlement-Free Child: Raising Confident and Responsible Kids in a "Me, Mine, Now!" Culture (Paperback)

The author offers several good options on how to proceed when confronted with various situations upon raising a child at various ages. The best feature is that both the "entitled" and "entitlement free" perspectives are shown, to think about where you, or a child you are dealing with, may be coming from.

This is by no means an academic study on the matter, and the suggestions should be taken as suggestions, and with a grain of salt.

One particular glaring error in avoiding instilling a sense of entitlement in children is the "birthday party" section, in which the author suggests asking that gifts for your child be "books only." This sends an utterly wrong message. It is horribly rude to tell guests what to give -- all gifts are optional and one should NEVER make any such suggestion. This suggestion would tell a child that it is okay to preemptively tell others what to give, because -- apparently -- the honoree is (all together...) ENTITLED to a gift(!)

Yes, you definitely need a grain of salt with this book, but it does do a good job in describing perspectives which you or other people may have in various situations.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is a third way, May 14, 2009

By 

Janey Lee "hanee" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Entitlement-Free Child: Raising Confident and Responsible Kids in a "Me, Mine, Now!" Culture (Paperback)

I am one of those people who thinks that kids these days are spoiled. Mine are no exception.

My kids, and probably yours, have tons of toys, DVDs, etc.. We schedule playdates and parties and give them everything. Yet, the kids WHINE and complain and generally make us miserable.

I am a product of my environment, and our culture says buy this gadget or product or sign your kid up for this activity to make things better. But buying things isn't really the solution.

I've tried to reform myself -- force my kid to do what I want to turn a deaf ear to the crying. But, I feel horrible when I do it.

Karen Deerwester's strategies in this book give me new hope. They are real, and sane. She thinks that you can raise kids in this day and age who have high self esteem and also obey their parents.

The book is easy to read and divided up into chapters to help you deal with your kid from toddler to tweens.

The book has some creative ways to deal with old problems. You should really check it out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential strategies, May 22, 2009

By 

A. Menzer (Boynton Beach, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Entitlement-Free Child: Raising Confident and Responsible Kids in a "Me, Mine, Now!" Culture (Paperback)

What a relevant and engaging book! Karen Deerwester provides all of the essentials to navigating the parenting road with practical strategies. It is easy to read and leaves parents feeling empowered to handle a wide variety of parenting situations. A truly motivating and much needed book for today's parents.