The Procrastinating Child: A Handbook for Adults to Help Children Stop Putting Things Off [Paperback]

Rita Emmett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2002

Parents, grandparents, teachers, supervisors, even baby-sitters, can be driven to distraction by a child’s repeated procrastination. However, their distress is nothing compared to the toll procrastination takes on the child—eroding self-confidence, undermining self-esteem and relationships, increasing anxiety, and paving the way for similar behavior as an adult that can be even more costly.

Helping a child stop procrastinating is one of the best gifts an adult can share, and Rita Emmett’s informative and engaging new book is the place to start. Based on her own procrastination and parenting seminars and on interviews with hundreds of people about what works and what doesn’t, Emmett offers proven techniques to defuse the frictions caused by youthful procrastination. Her central point is that, far from being a character flaw, procrastination—in children as in adults—is usually a habit that can be changed.

Whether avoiding chores or homework or neglecting goals—or in dozens of other situations—children of all ages procrastinate for many reasons:

- feeling overwhelmed or confused and not knowing where to begin
- lack of motivation
- a subversive desire to assert control by not doing what’s asked
- a dislike of the task
- subconscious fears or anxieties about failure
- poor time management skills

In each case, Emmett provides strategies for breaking through a child’s defense mechanisms or reluctance to talk, and for establishing rules and guidelines that encourage young children and teenagers alike to face obligations in a timely way. Lighthearted and rewarding, The Procrastinating Child is an invaluable resource.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Parents frustrated by their child's tendency to delay starting a book report or cleaning her room will find this guide by Emmet (The Procrastinator's Handbook) to be a valuable resource. Emmet points out that schools rarely teach time management; this handbook fills in the gap, helping parents understand why their children procrastinate and how they can help kids organize their schedules and assignments. While parents may find procrastinators to be frustrating, Emmet notes that kids who delay aren't doing it just to irk mom and dad; rather, the child may feel overwhelmed, distracted and helpless. Perfectionism and procrastination, she claims, often go hand in hand, so parents need to communicate that it's okay to make mistakes. Helping children break tasks into small steps will also waylay the daunting fear that often accompanies procrastination. Emmet's approach is practical (helpful summaries at the conclusion of each chapter keep readers on task) and her argument that procrastination is a bad habit that can be corrected will be reassuring news for young procrastinators and their parents. (Sept.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Emmett follows up The Procrastinator's Handbook with a look at the price children pay for procrastinating, the reasons they do so, and how parents can help them stop. Each chapter is devoted to a particular cause: habit, poor time management skills, feelings of being overwhelmed, hating a task, lacking time to perform perfectly, fears and anxiety, and being swamped with other activities. Emmett uses vignettes to illustrate how children waste time and how parents can teach them to be more productive by setting firm rules, using rewards, and making lists. The book is aimed at helping parents determine when a child is procrastinating and when they're just being children, and how to achieve balance between being too controlling and being permissive. Emmett offers basic suggestions--no television until homework is done--as well as solutions spelled out in acronyms to help parents and children remember them. Emmett's lighthearted style makes this an easy-to-read, helpful resource for parents. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company (October 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802776361
• ISBN-13: 978-0802776365
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #567,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parents are increasingly concerned about how well their kids, October 26, 2002

By 

Roger E. Herman (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Procrastinating Child: A Handbook for Adults to Help Children Stop Putting Things Off (Paperback)

Parents are increasingly concerned about how well their kids are performing. There are two strong motivations for this attitude. First, we parents want our kids to be better than we were . . . or at least give them more opportunities. Second, we know, as adults, how fast the world is moving now. If our kids put things off, the opportunities may pass them by. If you're a dedicated parent today, you may well be facing the challenge of a child who procrastinates just a bit more than you'd like to see.

Who better to write this book than the author of "The Procrastinator's Handbook," a book that has made quite an impact over the past two years? Emmett digs right into the subject in a highly readable style Allow me to quote from the introduction, where the author best describes what you'll see. "The teen who puts off sending in his college application might procrastinate because it has become a habit (chapter 1). Or he may not have learned any self-motivating skills (chapter 2); he may feel overwhelmed by all the papers to fill out (chapter 3); he may hate this type of task (chapter 4); or he may feel he doesn't have time (chapter 5). He may be waiting for a whole day free of interruptions so he can do it perfectly (chapter 6), or have some fears and anxieties about going away to college (chapter 7). He might not know where all the forms are because they're scattered all over his desk, bedroom, and locker (chapter 8), and he may be so swamped with other activities that he can't focus on this task (chapter 9)." Chapter 10 is Hope for the Future.

The author emphasizes some points we must consider as we begin to read-and use-this book. Children hate having ideas forced on them. No single theory or technique works for every child. Children don't always think and act the same way you do. [You should have seen the way my teen-ager rolled her eyes when I showed her the book I was reading!]

Your head will bob up and down as you read through these pages. Yes! Yes! But, what to do? Not a problem. The book is full of advice and counsel, including "Ideas to Discuss" and "Ideas in Action" at the end of each chapter. They're presented as a teamwork process; this is something you do WITH your child, not TO your child. The Tips call-outs enhance the value of this volume.

This book is small (5.5 by 8 inches), but powerful. You can make a difference with the knowledge you gain in these pages-for your child and for yourself.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Practical Tips, September 25, 2007

By 

Soccer Mom - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Procrastinating Child: A Handbook for Adults to Help Children Stop Putting Things Off (Paperback)

After reading many books on how to help my kids be more organized and do better in school, I found many practical tips in this book. It is interesting that a book by someone who is a professional organizer was more effective at helping my kids be better students than most of the books I read by people with advanced degrees in education and psychology. Basically, the author suggests setting up a system of age appropriate rewards for kids in exchange for getting tasks done on time. It is simple, but it works. I would also recommend the book Assertive Discipline, by Lee Canter and Marlene Canter as another good book with practical advice on how to get children to get chores and homework done on time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A GIFT FOR ME & MY FAMILY, August 24, 2005

By 

Victoria M. Wall "CONQUERESS" (White Lake, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Procrastinating Child: A Handbook for Adults to Help Children Stop Putting Things Off (Paperback)

This was the first book of Rita Emmett's I experienced. What a gift! My adolescent son is now in the saddle following directions - now - right away. There are many gentle ways to end putting things off from your kid - and this book is a great tool. It was my first reading of Rita's books. Then I actually experienced one of Rita's seminars. She is a great teacher, effective and fun, a terrific value. Also this author lets non-profit organizations use this book as a fundraiser. I am looking into that for one of my actions in fundraising. Rita Emmett's website has details.