Taking Charge: Caring Discipline That Works -- At Home and at School (Third Edition) [Paperback]

Jo Anne Nordling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

If the children in your family or classroom are driving you crazy and you need ideas for getting back in control of the situation, this book is for you. It is a definitive guide to the art and skill of disciplining children with love and respect, for children from tots to teenagers. TAKING CHARGE is based on over forty years of parenting, teaching, and counseling experience, resulting in an overall approach that works. Solid ideas for contemporary parents and teachers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I have taught the sixth grade for twenty-one years and thought I had a handle on discipline, but after reading JoAnne Nordling's materials, I found out how little I knew about understanding children's misbehaviors ... I highly recommend this material to all educators and parents." -- Ronald R. Schoeler, elementary school teacher

"TAKING CHARGE is a well-designed guide to setting healthy limits and putting yourself back in charge without undermining the child's sense of security and self-worth." -- The Bloomsbury Review

"This jewel of a parenting guide fills in the gaps left by yesterday's 'authorities' on parenting. Of special importance to today's parents is Ms. Nordling's concept on correcting children's self-indulgent behavior. She writes with authority and love." -- Mary Lansing, LMFT, Family and Group Therapist, author of Loving Your Child, Past Present and Future

From the Back Cover

Who's In Charge? You or the Kids? What do you do when a child: Sasses you? Refuses to mind? Threatens or hurts other children? Doesn't do assigned schoolwork or chores? Whines and complains? Constantly interrupts? Won't go to bed? Pouts and sulks? Bosses? Starts smoking, cutting classes? If the children in your family or classroom are driving you crazy and you need ideas for getting back in control of the situation, this is the book for you. It is a definitive guide to the art and skill of disciplining children with love and respect, from ages three through the teens. Taking Charge is based on over forty years of parenting, teaching, and counseling experience, resulting in an overall approach that works! You'll discover how to:
Identify the four types of misbehaviors and learn to correct them
Defuse children's anger and prevent violent behaviors
Strengthen and enrich adult-child relationships
Teach children to act responsibly
Create a cooperative atmosphere in the classroom and at home
Keep from sabotaging yourself
Open two-way communication with the child's inner self
Teach children to settle their own disputes
Avoid power struggles
Give a command so it will be obeyed
Convince children they are loved unconditionally
Set healthy limits
Nurture healthy emotional growth and high self-esteem

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Sibyl Publications; 3rd Rev edition (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889531030
• ISBN-13: 978-1889531038
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,511,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The single best book on parenting I have read, February 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Taking Charge: Caring Discipline That Works -- At Home and at School (Third Edition) (Paperback)

I don't know any parent who would not get something of enormous value from this book. The techniques are practical and effective, and ever mindful of building and respecting the child's self-esteem. This book is particularly necessary for new parents who were themselves raised in more dysfunctional families, and who don't want to unconsciously pass on that dysfunction to the next generation. Nordling never frames the discussion in these terms, but she clearly illustrates how to 'take charge' in a way that is not shaming, but builds your child's self-esteem. It is also brilliant on pitfalls to avoid (Nordling calls them self-sabotage) and how to identify and deal with specific types of misbehavior. These are lessons that adults raised in dysfunctional families may not have learned instinctively. The book is great beyond words, because if you practice what is in its pages, it will transform your life and your household. Both parents should really be on board with this program. (I am a dad. My wife and I have both benefitted from reading this book.) I do not think it is exaggeration to say that our world would be completely transformed if Taking Charge were required reading for all parents.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Does Work!, January 25, 2001

By 

Jan McFadden (Issaquah, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking Charge: Caring Discipline That Works -- At Home and at School (Third Edition) (Paperback)

When my husband and I agreed to take on our troubled 14-year-old granddaughter for the three months of her summer vacation, we were worried about our ability to handle her, because she was known for being hyperactive, undisciplined and uncooperative. A friend recommended the book Taking Charge, by JoAnne Nordling. We both read it and agreed that we'd follow the book's advice on handling children. The summer was a greater success than either of us had dared to hope for. After several weeks of enforcing consistent rules, using small rewards and punishments, having family meetings, providing plenty of attention and a balance of work and play, our granddaughter settled into a comfortable routine. She obeyed with few complaints and became a secure, happy, cooperative person. She even gained pride and self-esteem in her accomplishments. I would recommend the book to any parent or guardian.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for classroom and home schooling., March 4, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking Charge: Caring Discipline That Works -- At Home and at School (Third Edition) (Paperback)

Now in a throughly updated and expanded third edition, JoAnne Nordling's Taking Charge: Caring Discipline That Works At Home And At School continues to provide a model for classroom educators of a step-by-step process for successfully managing the misbehavior of children and teens, whether in the home setting or at school. Taking Charge is a practical "how to" guide for parents and teachers meeting together in groups to resolve discipline problems and develop child management skills based on JoAnne Nordling's more than forty years experience parenting, teaching, and counseling. Each chapter has a "Review" and a "Discussion" section, plus exercises to reinforce the concepts and raise issues for group discussion. Charts and worksheets are also provided. There is a complete curriculum kit based on Taking Charge available from the Parent Support Center in Portland, Oregon (JoAnne Nordling is its co-founder) which includes six videos, a wall chart, a syllabus, and guidelines.