Great Kids: Helping Your Baby and Child Develop the Ten Essential Qualities for a Healthy, Happy Life (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) [Hardcover]

Stanley I Greenspan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2007 | Series: A Merloyd Lawrence Book

Parents all over the world have certain universal aspirations. They want their children to contribute meaningfully to society and to pursue their own dreams. But we appear to be missing the essentials. In this inspiring book, based on 30 years of research and practice, Dr. Stanley Greenspan redefines the qualities of an emotionally and intellectually healthy child and identifies the ways that parents can help their children develop each quality. The qualities that make us call a child a “great kid,” such as empathy, curiosity, and logical thinking, are fundamental and underlie all the academic, athletic, and social talents that a child might develop. We are not born with these traits, Greenspan demonstrates, they come from experience, which suggests that each and every parent can encourage them and that each and every child can strive to acquire them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Professor of psychiatry and pediatrics Greenspan (The Challenging Child, Engaging Autism) expands his authorial reach, heretofore limited to special needs children, with this general guide to instilling values in any developing child. A conversational style eases parents into the methods for cultivating 10 essential qualities that will "make possible the pursuit of success, wisdom, and rich relationships at every stage of life": engagement, empathy, curiosity, communication, emotional range, self-awareness, internal discipline, creativity and vision, logical thinking and moral integrity. Using the "Floortime" method developed (and trademarked) by Greenspan and his colleagues (widely practiced by those working with autistic children), the process begins with parents getting down into "her orbit at her eye level and on her terms," letting the child lead so that one can "build on her interests in ways that expand her experiences and tolerance for frustration." Following a complete and detailed discussion of the quality in question, including helpful examples, chapters end with a concise set of action points for children at various stages of development. Interesting, practical and rooted in solid values, Greenspan's latest is a notable standout in a crowded field.
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Review

Psychologist-Psychoanalyst, Spring 2009
“A well-written, highly informative book for the lay audience and professionals alike…As useful as it is readable…A successful aid for parents and caregivers who are in the trenches of child rearing…Far from being cookie-cutter or Pollyannaish, it addresses the complexities of humanity and human development.”

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738209791
• ISBN-13: 978-0738209791
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #507,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all parents, March 19, 2008

By 

Elizabeth T. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Kids: Helping Your Baby and Child Develop the Ten Essential Qualities for a Healthy, Happy Life (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) (Hardcover)

As a child development professional, I highly recommend Great Kids to all parents and caregivers who want to encourage their child to build a happy, healthy, moral, and successful life. Dr Greenspan explains that these traits that make great kids come from experience, and any child can learn them. This is not just a book for children with challenges, but for any child - infants on up. Of the many child development and parenting books I have read, this is one of the very best. Developing and encouraging traits like empathy and moral integrity - even in infants - will undoubtedly help many parents raise a wonderful child. A MUST READ.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wise parenting manual, June 13, 2008

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Great Kids: Helping Your Baby and Child Develop the Ten Essential Qualities for a Healthy, Happy Life (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) (Hardcover)

The way you raise your child from infancy through adolescence determines his or her success in interacting with people and dealing with life situations. Every parent wants confident, sensitive, patient and morally sound children. But human beings are not born with these qualities; parents and caregivers are responsible for teaching children about them. Dr. Stanley Greenspan, an authority on infant and child development, describes each of 10 essential traits he believes children need, and advises parents how to instill and encourage them in their kids. His contentions are backed up by 30 years of practical experience. getAbstract recommends this book to parents who are looking for a guide through the complexities of child rearing.