Customer Reviews

When Your Child is 6 to 12

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is by far the best book on parenting I've ever read! I stumbled upon it in an old used bookstore and haven't been the same since.

Concise, easy to read and enjoyable, each page is filled with gems. My wife and I were having difficulty with getting the kids to bed. In 3 or 4 sentences we learned why and how to solve the problem.

I have since returned all the books on parenting(100's) and keep this book on my nighttable.

I have a stack of mostly-unread parenting books, the majority are on preschoolers, and as a mother of a 10 year old, well, it's too late for that. (The ones I did read were pretty forgettable anyway.) Then when I saw this book, and how small it was and therefore not too time-consuming to read, as well as its relevance to me now since my own child has two years left in this age bracket, I decided to give this book a go. I say "give it a go" because I have no tolerance for rubbish, especially self-help rubbish, and if any book reveals itself to be so inclined, I'm over it quickly.

But this book was different. Extremely readable. Practical. Clear. And contemporary, as in very relevant for today, even though it was written 12 years ago. (I don't know where you live, but where I live, I see lots of very unhappy children who seem to be unlikely to be able to cope with civilisation, in all senses of the word.) All parents should read this book and be it because it's about beginning with the end in mind, which is to raise children at the right speed (slowly) with authority and boundaries (of the loving kind) so that children will feel secure and loved as children, and grow to be the kind of adults that the world needs: dependable and valuable and with values.

To acheive this end, it explains how parents need to be, including of course "being" with their children. Which has nothing to do with the modern concept of "Quality Time".

I also found the Christian references useful and if anyone has a problem with that, they should try and overcome it, because they provide a further useful take on parenting.

I would recommend this book to everyone. It beats watching a parenting show on TV. This book has it all for this agegroup and I will be looking out for others by this author. But this book is truly a celebration of parenting When Your Child Is 6 to 12.

This little book basically just reminds you that to raise happy, compassionate responsible kids you have to model those qualities yourself and spend time with them. But I think it does so in a way which is easy to read without being overly simplistic, and is entertaining and convincing. It makes the important point that if you want your kids to like you, take advantage of these years as when they're teenagers they're going to listen to everyone BUT you.

Its brevity is a strength, as the above message does not get clouded by too many stories or background science, and it means I can get my husband and babysitter to read it and realistically recommend it to friends.

Yes it does have a Christian slant but not in fundamentalist or intolerant way, so I did not find that detracted. I have read alot of other books on raising kids which explain in more depth the evidence showing that a loving upbringing (with clear limits!) WORKS better than one based more on discipline. So I suggest you read those too for the depth lacking in this book: ie Raising Resilient Children and for boys: Raising Cain and Speaking of Boys. Also if you have somehow come this far and not yet read How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk, buy that and read it and now and paste their advice up all over the house. But also buy this little book and keep it by your bed.

Does not really have a lot of informative information. The information given is pretty basic and bland. Thers are a lot of other books available that provide more.

This book takes a long time to tell parents the obvious fact that they should spend a lot of time with their 6 to 12s, doing fun activities, as well as really communicating with them, because as we all know after age 12, children are a lot less likely to listen to their parents.

Also, there is a little religion along the way, which, as an agnostic, I didn't like very much.