Customer Reviews

The One Minute Father (One Minute Series)

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4 star:		(4)
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This book and the concepts it shares with the One Minute (Manager) Series are the basis for the way I am raising my daughter. Manage behavior and unconditionally love the child. It works for parenting, management, and even marital relations. This book puts the principles of the One Minute Manager in the natural context of the parent child relationship. It is a gem of a book. I have given several copies to friends, employees, and in 1992 to my (then) future wife. Not only did I give her the book, I recorded it on cassette in my voice for her to study. She did. We have now (5/2000) been happily "Catching each other doing things right" for over 7 years as husband and wife. In the same way, we have harnessed the incredible power of One Minute style praising and reprimanding our daughter with fantastic results.

( Comment as of 2008:
I still give this and other One Minute books to friends and co-workers, often the Japanese language editions. I still stand by every word of this review. And I still believe this series provides an excellent mental framework for dealing with the stresses of parenting, managing, and being a spouse.
--Walter Willenkin, Japan, April 2008 -- )

(Comment as of 2011: Now she is a teenager. This still works.
Check this again in a few years. I bet she is still self-managing!
Stay posted to see how she turns out! --Walter Willenkin, Japan, January 2011 --)

Today I have posted a long list of other helpful books and audiobooks on my personal website.

Spencer Johnson always does a good job of breaking an idea down to some key components that can then be built upon to create a positive outcome. I was skeptical of "The One Minute Father" as most people seem to be about all of the One Minute Ideas. Don't let the title fool you. By using the common sense approach to discipling your children, you will eliminate the negative time to small points in time while giving you the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in a positive and rewarding relationship with your child(ren). This is a must read for any parent. The things that we often know but won't believe are possible are possible. I have started following the advice given in this book more regulary and I can already see one of my children turning the corner in how she sees herself and her actions and how the two are not necessarily the same.
Give this book as a gift to yourself and anyone else you know willing to learn how to be a better, happier and more successful parent.

I purchased this book after reading "The One Minute Manager." I was skeptical about how any significant parenting advice could be contained in such a small volume. Still, since the read would be easy and quick, I decided to try it. I was pleasantly surprised!

Johnson does an excellent job of applying the basic principles of One Minute management to the parent/child relationship. In his typical parable style, he describes the One Minute Reprimand, the One Minute Praising, and the One Minute Goal. His depiction of the results with the Father's children is sickeningly sweet and overly dramatic, but he makes his point.

For any father who has read "The One Minute Manager," I encourage him to read this book also. It will truly give new, valuable insights into being a better dad. Buy it and see for yourself!

I like this book. Sure it may be cheesy and sometimes condescending and pedantic, but it is easy to read. What I like about this book is that it truly teaches parents how to parent in a way that helps children access an internalized sense of right and wrong. It seems like children today, because of our society's lack of social limits, have a shallow sense of right and wrong. There is a difference between not doing something because you will get caught and not doing something because you know that it is wrong.

This technique helps parents communicate in a clear and effective manner what they feel about a situation and attempt to get the child to internalize it. In other words, it teaches parents to help the child become their own parent.

I have used this series of books in my private practice to help clients learn to parent, as well as how to communicate with others. It is well worth reading.

Greg Custer, MS, LPC, MFTI

Based on the premise that children behave best when they feel good about themselves, this short book packs a great punch. Using a story format, Johnson conveys a simple message that not only makes sense but is effective.

Every parent understands the difficulties when children resist discipline, yet without it kids would be a mess. Johnson shows that your household doesn't have to be run like a military camp to succeed; it requires only a will to ensure your kids understand why they are being disciplined and a reminder that when you are frustrated with their poor choices it is not reflection on how you feel about them. The entirety of Spencer's message remains positive throughout which few can argue makes for the best kind of household.

This book is short enough to be read in an hour, yet don't confuse its brevity with value. The simplicity of Spencer's message is perhaps what makes it so powerful. It does not touch upon all aspects of parenting, but it is surely worth your time if you have children.

Need A Better way to dicapline children? In my opinion this is the way it alwayse should have been done. Were all use to using brute force by spanking and yelling. Read this one and you'll get much better results.

It is a good book, useful in a lot of cases. It does not teach you to be a good father, but hepls you to understand in a better way the always complex relations with your children.