Customer Reviews

The Preschool Years

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If you can only buy one book to get you through your children's preschool-age years, this is it. This book is worth buying rather than borrowing because you'll want to refer back it to over and over. It covers discipline and child development, as well as the larger realms of family and school, in a manner that is accessible, reassuring and very informative. First-person narratives are sprinkled throughout, which makes it enjoyable to read. A very wide range of issues are discussed, in a tone that respects both the parent and child.

I've read a lot of parenting books and this is one of the best. Each topic is covered in depth from several angles:

--what is known from research on the topic

--suggested strategies and reasons for using these strategies

--variations and additional suggestions made by parents

I appreciate the nuanced, balanced, kind, sane world view as well. I have a lot of respect for what is in this book, in part based on what is NOT in it. For example, disciplinary strategies are neither the overly touchy feely stuff presented in books like "Becoming The Parent You Want To Be" or a hard authoritarian line that neglects to teach kids WHY treating others with respect and doing the right thing is important. There don't seem to be any crazy sidelines (ie. the wacky diet suggestions of the "What to Expect" series). Outdated notions of gender stereotyping are also refreshingly absent. This book is truly geared toward parents who need advice in a very neutral way, rather than assuming that mommy is running the show as so many books do.

If I could only keep one of the greater than one dozen parenting books I have, this would probably be it. I return to it again and again and find solid, workable and to-the-point advice on a host of issues.

I purchased this book for my son & his wife, they liked it so much I purchased it for my daughter & her husband when they had children. It really has helpful suggestions.

I bought this book when it came out in 1990. At the time my daughters were two and five, and I found it so helpful at the time that I still remembered the name and author 20+ years later. I'm thinking of getting a copy for my brother and his wife, who have twin 2-year-olds on the brink of this stage of life. It's a very engaging book, with family stories and research findings woven together in every chapter.