Strong-Willed Child or Dreamer? [Paperback]

Ron Braund (Author), Dana Spears (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 9, 1996

Your child may be a sensitive dreamer if: he forgets to follow instructions, no matter how clear and simple, she craves praise and positive attention, yet refuses to conform to what's expected, he tells more than his share of fibs and tall tales. If you recognize these actions in your child, you know the frustration of turning to parenting experts for advice only to find the systems don't work, the rules don't stick and strong boundary setting makes the situation worse. The creative-sensitive dreamer is not the strong-willed child. Get this book and learn how to parent your special needs child who is principle -oriented rather than rule-oriented, highly creative, overly sensitive and frustrated at a world that fails to live up to the ideal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785277005
• ISBN-13: 978-0785277002
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong-Willed Child or Dreamer? was an eye-opener!, April 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Strong-Willed Child or Dreamer? (Paperback)

My daughter's Kindergarten teacher suggested I read this book because, based on her extensive education in child psychology and observations, my daughter was a dreamer. I'd never heard of such a thing. Reading this book showed me how I was misunderstanding her and how she was misinterpreting my responses or actions.

Dreamer, as used in this book, doesn't mean having one's head in the clouds or constantly daydreaming, letting the world pass one by. It's more about how one views and interprets the world around them, how it affects them personally, and how they react to it. Obviously, no person fits EVERY aspect of any cognitive style. I will have to read it several times to be able to better understand both my dreamers; I, personally, fall into a diametrically opposed category (doer). There are several aspects of dreamers which I feel apply to all children/people, but I think the authors are really saying more than I'm understanding on the first read.

Behaviors I thought were over-reactive, irresponsible, or downright lazy, aren't. It's helped me understand her thinking/feeling better and change my approach and reaction to my daughter's behavior, which in turn has changed her behaviors, leading to ALOT less stress on both of us. The suggestions given to help her thrive have had almost immediate effects--really! Having such a different personality from my daughter, I didn't understand why some of the things I said were ineffective. Now I know the right words to use to get my point across so she understands it. For me, it's almost like learning a new language!

I hope to find more material on dreamers and how to nurture their personalities to survive and succeed in this world, but in the meantime, this will help me continue to understand the real feelings behind both my children's behaviors or words.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's never too late...., December 8, 2000

By 

Jim C. (Fort Wayne, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strong-Willed Child or Dreamer? (Paperback)

If your "Dreamer" is a teenager and you think it's too late for this book to help him or her, please reconsider. Our Dreamer suffered through the social and educational misunderstandings that most dreamers do until her junior year in high school when I purchased this book. After reading it and seeing her story throughout the book, I gave it to her to read. The new understanding of herself that she gained from reading the book gave her a whole new outlook. She is now a happy, well adjusted college freshman who embraces the gifts, talents and personality that God has given her. She still occasionally experiences the insecurities that dreamers share but she has learned how to work through them. Thank you Dr. Spears and Dr. Braund! Oh, and by the way, it's never too late for us older folks either. I discovered that I'm a Dreamer too!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong-willed Child Or Dreamer? - Definately Dreamer!, February 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Strong-Willed Child or Dreamer? (Paperback)

I found out my daughter was a dreamer at a Christian family conference. When Norman Wright put up the characteristics of a strong-willed child (the only thing that fit in that catagory was stubborness) and then he showed the characteristics of a diplomat/compliant child (nothing there except sensitivity) I thought to myself "Where does mine fit?" She had been a mystery to me for all of her 7 years (she's now 10). THEN he showed us the characteristics of a dreamer...and there she was! Norman Wright said that he wished he'd had this book when his daughter was growing up. It is fantastic! I bought the book that day (and I have since given it to my daughter's skating coach and bought a new one for me) and it was a real eye-opener. My daughter fits the dreamer profile exactly. This book has helped me SO much. There are still times when I slip back into my old ways and forget how she needs to be "handled". She is VERY dramatic and need lots of attention and understanding. I find that when I communicate with her in her style things are great. We're heading into adolescence so this book will never be far from my side. I highly recommend this book to all teachers and coaches. My daughter's teacher once commented to me that my daughter is the typical only child and typical gifted student, and I wanted to tell her, no, she's a typical dreamer. Which means there is nothing "typical" about her.