What Kids Really Want to Ask: Using Movies to Start Meaningful Conversations [Paperback]

Rhonda A. Richardson (Author), A. Margaret Pevec (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2007

Over 1100 middle-schoolers (ages 10-14) answered this: If you could ask your mom or dad any question and know you would get an honest answer, what question would you ask? Twelve themes emerged and this guidebook was born, using talking points and a now-classic movie for each theme to help families communicate around the children's own questions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A fun and practical resource for all parents who want to communicate with kids about important things and keep relationships growing. -- David Walsh, PhD, Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen

For engaging in warm, rich, and mutually beneficial parent-child relationships, a vital resource for families navigating the early years of adolescence. -- Richard M. Lerner, PhD, Eliot-Pearson Dept. of Child Development, Tufts University

If you're tired of getting little response when trying to converse with your middle schooler, you need this book! -- Judith Galbraith, When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers

Intelligent, respectful, and innovative, this is something all parents of young teens can use. -- Sue Blaney, ChangeWorks Publishing and Consulting

From the Publisher

Multi-award winning: Mom's Choice award, Skipping Stones award, finalist in parenting and in family & relationships (Foreword magazine), finalist in children's interactive (Independent Publisher)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Vanderwyk & Burnham (May 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889242314
• ISBN-13: 978-1889242316
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,173,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chock full of practical information and fun activities to ease your way into those tough topics., June 8, 2007

By 

Dr. Pat Koestner "Clinical Psychologist/Famil... (Littleton, CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What Kids Really Want to Ask: Using Movies to Start Meaningful Conversations (Paperback)

A very clever approach to opening up important conversations with kids that's based on solid university research and written by two seasoned Moms with stellar educations and backgrounds. Each chapter focuses on questions from one theme, and gives lots of points for discussion based on a movie selected to bring out that theme. Both kids and parents are given lots to think about and share with one another. Chapters end with great suggestions for creative activities to further facilitate conversations.

As a psychologist, as much as I love getting paid to have deep, meaningful conversations with kids, I much prefer kids to connect with their own parents in that way. This book offers a fun and practical way to do that in a busy family.

Any and all chapters can be used in any order. Also a great quick reference for numerous topics bound to come up between parents and kids because each chapter begins by answering many questions parents may really want to ask about kids. Even after years of counseling families and kids, I was surprised and delighted by some of the questions kids had. It's worth the price of the book just to read the 450 questions printed out in the appendix.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have "tool" for parents of middle schoolers, November 15, 2007

By 

Ann M. Schlarb (Longmont, Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What Kids Really Want to Ask: Using Movies to Start Meaningful Conversations (Paperback)

If you want to engage in a meaningful dialogue with your child, buy "What Kids Really Want to Ask". I had this book in the car when my 13-year-old daughter and I were driving to pick up my nephew. She began reading the questions in the appendix and at first thought they were a bit silly. When she realized they were questions kids like her had asked, she became a bit more serious. She began reading the questions aloud and when she paused, I knew it was a question she really wanted answered. It was a fun, light-hearted way for us to have a meaningful conversation. Other times she would voice how sad it was that a child had to ask something like, "Do you love me and would you ever give me up?" This opened another level of dialogue and brought out a sense of empathy in my daughter. She recognized many of the movies discussed in the books, and we are going to re-watch them and use the book as we do. A great book for helping your child through those difficult middle-school years!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, Ideas, and Wisdom, June 5, 2007

By 

Sarah Dean (Marquette, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What Kids Really Want to Ask: Using Movies to Start Meaningful Conversations (Paperback)

As the mother of an 11 1/2 year old boy, I loved this book. I loved the basic parenting of pre-teens advice in the beginning. Honestly, nothing was new AND I was grateful for the reminders as they helped me remember what I already knew and believe in. I loved the reviews and all the detailed information provided about the movies they recommend. For the movies I have seen, they were very accurate. And for the movies I have not yet seen, I appreciated the information the authors provided...very relevant to what I would want to know about a film I was planning to watch with my son for the sake of a deeper conversation about ourselves and what he was curious about. Probably my favorite part of the book was the research about the 12 basic themes that youth this age are interested in. Some I wouldn't have imagined...like that he'd be interested in our extended family or about me as a child. I always thought I was supposed to ask the questions about him...show I was interested in his world. This was a different perspective. I like that they chose movies as a way to relate...but even if someone didn't want to watch any of the films...there are great questions/prompts for richer conversations. And if someone has already seen the films with their child...it might be a way to begin talking about some of the themes. The other things I like is that by just having the book in my home, my son sees that I am wanting to have meaningful conversations with him...my guess is that he'll pick up the book himself and probably ask to watch some of the films we haven't seen together.

I'm grateful that I heard about this book and read it while my son was still entering into this period in his life. I know I will re-read it and use it throughout our relationship during this time.

Thank you, Margaret adn Rhonda for connecting the dots between film, pre-teens, questions, and parenting!