Liberated Parents, Liberated Children: Your Guide to a Happier Family [Paperback]

Adele Faber (Author), Elaine Mazlish (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 14, 2004

The Companion Volume to How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk

In this honest, illuminating book, internationally acclaimed parenting experts Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish bring to life the principles of famed child psychologist Dr. Haim Ginott, and show how his theories inspired the changes they made in their relationships with their own children.

By sharing their experiences, as well as those of other parents, Faber and Mazlish provide moving and convincing testimony to their new approach and lay the foundation for the parenting workshops they subsequently created that have been used by thousands of groups worldwide to bring out the best in both children and parents.

Wisdom, humor, and practical advice are the hallmarks of this indispensable book that demonstrates the kind of communication that builds self-esteem, inspires confidence, encourages responsibility, and makes a major contribution to the stability of today's family.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish are internationally acclaimed, award-winning experts on adult-child communication. Both lecture nationwide, and their group workshop programs are used by thousands of groups throughout the world to improve communication between children and adults.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reissue edition (December 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380711346
• ISBN-13: 978-0380711345
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Adele Faber is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning expert on adult-child communication. She lectures nationwide, and her group workshop programs are used by thousands of groups throughout the world to improve communication between children and adults.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#46 in Books > Self-Help

#46 in Books > Self-Help

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensible and Easy October 17, 2000

By "tryst1970"

Format:Paperback

I have read lots of different child psychology and parent/child relations books. This is the only one I've ever picked up, started to read, and had the thought, "Wow, I actually think the thoughts and advice here make sense." I know it's terribly pushy of me but I'm considering buying it as a Christmas present for everyone I know who relates to children. The book is full of examples and stories that make it easy to relate the knowledge within the book with how it might be applied in the real world. I could instantly see how the language and responses I might be giving my own son could lead to confusion and even battles. The best part about this book is how it encourages you to help your child grow his/her own self esteem. This is one book I'm planning to read, read again, and then copy parts of it to post on the refrigerator as reminders to myself of the kind of parent that I want to be.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Daughter, now 19, living proof this book works . . . August 1, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Daughter might not have reached 19 if not for this book! When I was pregnant, a friend insisted I find this book. It was out of print at the time, but I dug up a yellowed copy at a used book store. I read it and although I couldn't envision ever being in many of the situations, it colored everything I did as a parent from the first day. It works beautifully in re-shaping how one relates to all people, not just children. It's easy to change your "script" when the new approach has such an immediate and gratifying result.

59 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has helped me so much. October 19, 1999

By Heather ([e-mail])

Format:Paperback

Generally my strategy of looking at book reviews is to look at all the negative points first but I just cannot believe how helpful this book was to me and my family. I am a hardcore attachment parenter and found this to be a helpful, human look at discipline. Every person I know who has read this book was also deeply affected by it. For me it was right up there with the book by the same authors "Siblings without rivarly"... and on top of that, it was such an easy book to read I felt like I was reading a novel. Parts of it made me cry and others made me laugh. And there were so many things I was able to use in my parenting right away. I noticed an immediate change in my parenting style and the kids were so much happier and more respectful!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Children are human, parents are human! May 2, 2006

By M. K. Freeman

Format:Paperback

This book has two main sections, the first about children and their emotional needs, the second more focused on what is going on inside the parents.

For the chapter on (parents') anger alone, this book is worth the money. I also own "How to talk..." and wondered whether this book would have sufficient unique material, and having just finished reading it, I have no regrets at all about buying it. I am a person who struggles to express anger in helpful ways, and this book has plenty of suggestions for me to try. If you thought that parents had to be calm, cool and patient 100% of the time, this book will save your sanity.

I also recommend the book "Between Parent and Child" by Dr Haim Ginott. That book was an incredibly therapeutic book to read for me, helping me to work through why my relationship with my own parents has been such a struggle, helping me to understand why I constantly thought throughout my childhood that they didn't really listen to me.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A new look at stress-free parenting March 6, 1997

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

For all those who thought that self-sacrifice is the path to good parenting here is a book that tells you otherwise. Yes, children count, but, so do you. A simply written book with lots of real life examples on how to get your entire family 'liberated' from those daily 'I say yes - you say no' arguements. A definite read if you've come out of a parent-child fight wishing you could take a permanent vacation on a remote island. After reading this book you'll actually want to take your children with you ! Happy parenting

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for All Who Struggle With Their Anger April 29, 2005

By Lisa Manske

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read "How to Talk . . ." by the same authors and was blown away by how powerful it's implementation was in my family. I wondered, should I bother reading the first book that inspired it? I'm so glad I did.

This book explains how the authors worked through their family issues with the help of Haim Ginott. It humbly shows how two moms dealt with their anger and learned how to be truly constructive.

Read this book--you will not be sorry!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Parenting Guide Around!!! August 13, 2005

By Denise Dean

Format:Paperback

I first read this book in the 1980's when all 4 of my children were under 10 years old. It was so helpful!! I wore one copy out and had to replace it. It is easy and logical to use. It acknowledges that everyone (parents and children) get angry but teaches you to give yourself permission to be angry but provides methods to deal calmly with the situation that makes you angry. It helps you learn to identify that you are angry with the situation - not necessarily the child. My son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first child and this book is going to be part of my gift to them. I already have copies for all 3 of my daughters when their turn at parenting comes. As a volunteer at a domestic violence shelter I recommend the book to our clients who need to develop more effective parenting skills. I also recommended it to all of my friends.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely invaluable May 29, 2011

By Rapscallions

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I wasn't sure that this book would be of much value as I had already read "How to Listen...." and had also ordered Siblings Without Rivalry. I couldn't have been more wrong. This is an absolute must have for anyone, like me, who spends many nights chastising herself for not living up to her own ideals of parenting and vowing to do better the next day. It really describes the process of how the authors moved towards a style of parenting that is respectful of the dignity of both parent and child and does so in a way that lets you know that they too took numerous steps back while striving to move forward. Most admirably it also tackles the most difficult question of how, as a parent, you might deal with your varying feelings of anger towards your children, all the way through to rage, without tossing out everything you've learnt in the heat of the moment. The style is very casual and uses a workshop approach as a teaching tool. I know some have criticized the use of cartoons to showcase model approaches in a range of situations, but I found this a quick and very effective method to assist the reader to make the connection between theory and practice. For me the approach to parenting described by Faber and Mazlish is the end of the line in a long long search for a "better way". I only wish I could have been in those workshops run by Dr Haim Ginott! This book is one that I will refer to over and over again.