Right from Wrong: Instilling a Sense of Integrity in Your Child [Hardcover]

Michael Riera (Author), Joseph Diprisco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 5, 2002

Does your child have a conscience? Is he remorseful when caught in a lie? Very high on any wise list of dreams for our children is the hope that they become people of integrity. But integrity is not simply something that happens as a result of unconditional love, healthy genes, or good luck; it emerges, if it does, because parents make it a priority to exercise influence in this arena.Combining stories of children experiencing the day-to-day struggles of growing up with compassionate, in-depth analysis and pragmatic counsel, Right From Wrong makes nurturing the qualities of integrity tangible to parents and to the others who might be actively involved in guiding a child's moral life. Through the authors' wise and discerning eyes we witness children as they experience loss or sadness, react to sibling rivalries, schoolyard violence, and academic pressures, or even while they interact at the family dinner table. The ways in which parents use listening, praise, discipline, honesty, and consequences to react to these situations reinforces a child's sense of right and wrong; from these choices readers will learn valuable lessons about a parent's power to nurture character and morality in young children.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Never preachy and always practical, Right from Wrongis an important and inspiring book about raising children with a conscience. Educators Michael Riera and Joseph Di Prisco focus on integrity rather than morality in their provocative and persuasive thesis: "The most direct way for children to take lessons of integrity to heart is by being out of integrity," they explain.

Targeted for preschoolers through preteens, each chapter is organized around evocative vignettes about finding integrity. Among them: a kindergartner stealing a candy bar, the death of a family pet, a dustup on the soccer field, an 11-year-old who gives her phone number to a teenage boy at the movies. The authors imaginatively explore how parents can leverage kids' everyday experiences--homework, competition, tattling, awakening sexuality, or surfing the Internet--into teachable moments of integrity.

Overall, don't take your child's behavior personally, the book cautions. Avoid the trap of being so disappointed or panicked by children's behavior that you lose an opportunity for them to unpack conflicting emotions and learn to value integrity. Sound advice is underlined with sample parent-child dialogues, asking, for example, "What stopped you from listening to the part of you that knew the right thing to do?" This book is simply a gem--and a must-read for parents and teachers of young children alike. --Barbara Mackoff

From Publishers Weekly

Almost a sequel to the authors' Field Guide to the American Teenager, this book is aimed at helping parents instill a moral sense in children ages five to 12. The authors briefly introduce the concept of integrity, defining it as "the compass within each of us... only with integrity do our journeys achieve meaning." Each of the chapters begins with a specific case study and dialogue between parent and child illustrating a specific point from lying to dealing with illness to believing in Santa Claus to handling bullies. The authors show how the parents handle the particular situation and then offer some suggestions for how to deal with variations of the basic situation. While many parents, especially first-timers, will find the authors' tone reassuring and the advice somewhat helpful, the book is less penetrating than readers might have hoped. The authors don't offer enough suggestions for parents; instead, they're more concerned with explaining how the parents might feel rather than offering prescriptive advice on how parents should handle some difficult conversations. Parenting presents many challenges and there are few absolute right or wrong ways to handle situations, but given the stresses of today's working parent, a more hard-hitting approach would have made for a more useful book.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738205451
• ISBN-13: 978-0738205458
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,087,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.