Customer Reviews

When You're About to Go Off the Deep End, Don't Take Your Kids With You

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have really enjoyed this book as we await our fifth child. Our days are sometimes long and arduous, but we all love each other. There are times when we forget to respect each other and ourselves. This book stresses the importance of balance and caring for oneself so that we can care for others, too, and it gives great ideas on how to do that!

I find the book therapeutic and comforting!
Mia Cronan
http://MainStreetMom.com

I was really disappointed in this book, but I should not have been. I read all of the reviews and decided to purchase anyway. It seems that the the 5-star ratings are given by credentialed professionals (are they colleges or friends helping another?), while the mothers who truly need strategies to implement at home are not finding this book helpful, and giving the lower-star rating. I fall in the latter category. As the mother of three under the age of 5, I get angry with my children and I truly want to learn how to break this cycle of anger in my family. More "me" time isn't the only answer.

This book goes beyond what most parenting books cover: how to consciously design your life, how to effectively deal with money, and how you can best nurture yourself in order to give even more to your kids. In addition, the book gives you concrete, effective parenting skills.

Using the tools in Kelly Nault's book can help you crate a more purposeful life, eliminate the hassles that are dragging you down, and gain the skills you need to successfuly deal with conflict.

Ever so often someone comes along with a solution than can take our society to higher plateaus -- Kelly is one of these exceptional people.

I agree with the other reviewer - "not as helpful as I would have liked." Disappointing. Basically, a lot of suggestions when you can hire babysitters often. Also, not practical advice for hectic lives today.

Sorry but I have to agree with the other reviewers. This book was neither practical nor helpful. Mom time is not the answer, and if I had it I would not be seeking out help. Please look elsewhere!

For starters, I was not happy to find on the first page that the author is not even a parent herself, but a part-time caregiver.
That aside, I appreciate that moms (myself included) certainly do need to make time for themselves and let more things go. Unfortunately, this book does not relate really well to a working mother of 2 very small children, who can't just let everything go, and have lots of Mom-time. My kids still need a lot of care at this point, and I prefer to spend most of my non-working time with them. Also, I found the cutesy tone of the book annoying and distracting from the substance and content.
Maybe this book is helpful for parents of older children, but it just doesn't work for me

I was in a bad place when my husband found this book and ordered it for me. I took it along with me on our "vacation" with my 3 year old. As it turns out, it helped. I was able to turn my frown upside down, and I think Kelly Nault's method of positive reinforcement is definitely worth a shot. Nothing works on all of the kids all of the time, but this book has some worthwhile advice.

This book has a lot of good suggestions to be a better parent, but I've yet to see how it deals with the issue of stress. I have two year old twins, and was hoping for more guidance on dealing with frustration and stress that inevitably comes from being with my kids 24/7. They are good kids, but constantly having to be patient wears me thin. This book is like most...it suggests being "patient." Being patient is not my problem, it's handling the pent-up frustration! I will concede that the author has suggestions such as getting help, making friends, etc. All of these things are a good idea, but if you're like me you find it hard to muster the energy to parent full-time and do all of these other things and do them well. I guess you just have to see it as a work in progress. Strive to achieve these goals and don't beat yourself up if you're not doing it perfectly.

 Kelly has written the ultimate book for mothers. As a grandmother who has been using and teaching Adlerian principles of child rearing for over 35 years, I thought I had read and knew everything there is to know on the subject and was not interested in yet another book. But Kelly`s approach is magical. I could not put the book down (even though I was at Disneyland with my grandchildren while reading it). Each chapter introduces an important principle with an innovative twist. Her book is a wonderful reworking and updating of old material, plus new material on self-care. It is upbeat, it is urbane, and it is a must read for parents of today's children. - Clair Hawes,  PhD, Registered Psychologist

Kelly Nault's book contains the message that all mothers need to hear, in order to overcome our own upbringing. We were taught that a "good mother" is totally self-sacrificing. That's wrong! Think of what the flight attendant tells you when you board an airplane. "Put your own oxygen mask on first." If you don't, you will be totally unable to help your children.

Kelly also uses her expertise in psychology to provide you with literally dozens of tips on how to be the Ultimate Mom you want to be and bring out the best in your kids. My personal favorites:

How to deal with sibling rivalry
How to have fun and constructive family meetings.
How to create quality time with your kids.
How to take your own "Time Out" when you're stressed.

You don't need to be perfect, but Kelly shows you how to be the best Mom you can be.

Mickey Michaels, B.A., M.A., M.B.A., best-selling author of "SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PARENTS: How to Avoid Screwing Up Your Kids or Losing Your Own Sanity" and 'SUCCESSFUL DIVORCE & SINGLE PARENTING"