How to Unspoil Your Child Fast: A Speedy, Complete Guide to Contented Children and Happy Parents [Paperback]

Richard Bromfield (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 2010

You don't have to say yes to prove that you love them.
"Describes helpful, pertinent, and loving ways to correct spoiled behavior before it becomes a serious problem."
-ParentWorld
Nearly 95% of parents feel like they are overindulging their children, but feel powerless to stopping themselves.
How to Unspoil Your Child Fast offers a straightforward and practical solution to fixing and preventing the problems of spoiling your children and offers concrete tips, simple strategies, and easy action steps for reversing the effects almost immediately. Feel more confident, competent, and parent more consistently while instilling character and self-reliance in your children today.
What parents are saying:
"Wonderful, trenchant, and desperately needed."
"Short, sweet and to the point for those of us who don't have time to waste."
"Truly sensible and useful."
"Although my daughters like being doted on, they think I parent better...when I utilize many of Dr. Bromfield's suggestions. I highly recommend this book."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A snappy read, so you can't claim you don't have time. And the method's simple, so you can't pretend you aren't qualified to use it."
--Newsday

"It's a terrific book: logical, concrete and easy to read." --The Boston Globe

"It's a lively, engaging, helpful book that offers a look at our generation of parents and why we're tempted to indulge our children."

"Offers practical advice with great empathy and wit, and shows parents how they can drastically improve their family life."

"This concise read offers quick and easy info for parents struggling with their self-focused (aka spoiled) child, and describes helpful, pertinent and loving ways to correct spoiled behavior before it becomes a serious problem. A must-read for today's overindulgent p

"The book is terrific: logical, concrete, and easy to read."

"Promises to get you on your way if you follow the book's guidelines for seven consecutive days."

From the Author

I aspired to take what parents and children had taught me for 30 years of practice and put it into a quick and doable plan that can quickly turn a home around.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402242069
• ISBN-13: 978-1402242069
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Bromfield, Ph.D. is on the clinical faculty of Harvard Medical School. He writes about children, families, therapy, and Asperger Disorder for parents, general readers and professionals. (See www.RichardBromfield.com to learn more about his work and books.)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Short, sweet and to the point for those of us who don't have time to waste! April 25, 2008

By D. B.

Format:Paperback

As a mother of 3 I am constantly reading books on parenting and this one is one of the best, if not the best, I've ever read. If you have ever been in therapy and just wanted the therapist to hurry up and tell you what you need to do this is the book for you. I have read it twice so far and have seen wonderful changes in my children and myself. So many in my generation seem to be clueless about child training (myself included) and this is just what we needed.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful Parenting Book February 26, 2008

By Kelly R. Martignetti

Format:Paperback

I have worried about "spoiling" my children by giving them too much, doing too much, wanting somehow to help them avoid the painful moments of childhood and adolescence. My intentions are to parent well, but I sometimes forget that oftentimes that means needing to step back and allow my children to work hard, experience pain, toil, and reap the rewards of those experiences. In "How to Unspoil Your Child Fast," Dr. Bromfield illustrates the many ways to do just that. I found this book extremely helpful and upon reading it, I began to examine and tweak specific ways I parent. Dr. Bromfield writes as an expert child/family psychologist, but also as a parent himself. It is clear from this book that he has thought hard, researched, and written from his own experiences. Although my daughters like being doted on, they think I parent better--more consistently, fairly, evenhandedly--when I utilize many of Dr. Bromfield's suggestions. I highly recommend this book.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spoiled again! November 25, 2007

By Ned Weisman

Format:Paperback

In simple prose, Dr. Bromfield helps unravel the complicated processes by which parents become ineffective with their children. He is very direct in pinpointing what is at stake while also helping parents understand how to reverse the pernicious effects of "spoiling." He outlines the "unspoiling" process in straightforward concepts, without minimizing the complexities but offering advice to help parents feel more competent and hopeful. I am a child therapist who has spent many years dealing with problems of "spoiled" children. I believe frustrated parents will find help and support in Dr. Bromfield's sage advice.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Changing September 18, 2010

By P. Covington

Format:Paperback

This amazing little book is in the process of changing our lives as a family, starting with our relations with our 9 year-old son. Few of the points it makes or the measures it recommends seem surprising as you turn the pages (but that's true of the best advice, come to think of it). Taken as a whole, the book has made it easier for us to recognize spoiling behavior and the confusion and other damage it inflicts on our little boy, to gain the insights needed for a lasting commitment to change, and to form a common front.

Reading it aloud to and with my wife was a tremendous advantage for me and, I'd like to think, for her, in that she was able to see some of the stricter side of my interactions with our son as basically other than cruel or conflictive and some of her own eagerness to make/keep him happy as not doing him any favors in the long run. I've been reminded that getting frustrated and angry does nobody any good at all. As a result, we're much happier in our relations with each other. It's wonderful to feel better able to talk with each other about something (and someone) we care so much about and not to feel undermined by the other's behavior.

Our son himself surprised both of us the other night. After surreptitiously listening outside the kitchen while we read, he came in and sat with us, sharing the reading while talking about how much he could relate. He was particularly impressed by the description of various tricks spoiled kids use to get what they want from their parents, even confessing to some devious wrinkles the author hadn't pointed out. As a result of his exposure, he now understands us better: where we're coming from, what we're trying to do and why. Which is not to say that he no longer tries to get stuff, but still...... he's happier with us as parents.

I think this book would make fascinating, inspiring reading for any parent, prospective parent, teacher, or reasonably smart kid. (I can imagine teachers not only improving their own techniques at school but, diplomatically and selectively, recommending the book or handing out copies of it to parents of difficult kids.) It's a quick, often funny, read, and the author, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School has spent much of his career counseling families, as well as raising kids of his own. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining/Informative November 17, 2009

By Gilby

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this book out of sheer frustration with how we had spoiled our 6-year old. The book helped me realize what a disservice we were doing to our child as well as how simple it is to correct our/her behaviors. It's a quick read, very entertaining, and worth every penny :)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Happier Children and More Disciplined Parents March 19, 2011

By Steve Berczuk VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

You don't have to have a really "spoiled" child to find value in this book. While the title might lead you to believe that the book is about discipline applied to your child, it's as much about having the discipline as a parent to do the things that will help you be a happier family and raise a more self-motivated, engaged child. it Much of what this book says is "common sense" but it's always nice to be reminded what common sense is so that you feel less guilty about applying it. While a few things that the author suggests didn't quite resonate with me, his overall message, combined with specific suggestions seem very useful. The book is a quick read, even for a busy parent, and you can start applying the suggestions as you go before finishing the book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Parents in this Century September 1, 2010

By Christine

Format:Paperback

This book is an excellent resource for re-training "new millennium" kids. With so much afforded this generation, it is so important to remember that they need balance, discipline and a good old fashion "no". The part that caught my attention the most was the fact that we can give our kids too much praise without them ever having to actually earn it, or when they are behaving badly. I have seen in my own life that in an effort to build esteem, and agree that if we are not careful we can make our kids feel great while lacking the true character they need to survive life's challenges. Lastly, I have to say that I realized the problems that I experienced in my kids was not the results of bad kids but rather the result of faulty parenting. This book has really helped me re-tool my parenting and bring out the best in my children and make them more suitable and adaptable for the world they will face. I will caution all parents reading this book: beheviors will not change overnight if we as parents will not change overnight; the results are totally dependent on consistency and commitment to change!