48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Proof is in the pudding!, June 21, 2003
This review is from: Your Child's Self-Esteem (Paperback)
When my daughter Julia was 7 years old, I was told by teachers, principal, counselors and social workers that I could never expect her to read above 3rd grade level, and must be prepared to support her all her life.
They also noted, as an aside, that she was remarkably well adjusted for someone with her multiple and complex learning disabilities.
Julia is 24 now, a university senior majoring in environmental science, with a 3.75 GPA.
The strong sense of self, of her innate value, which counselors noted even when her future as an independent adult looked completely out of the question, I credit to the fact that I read this book while Julia was still tumbling around in amniotic fluid.
My primary goal with my daughter was to be sure she had a strong senese of her self and her innate value as a human being -- a goal solely and entirely inspired by this book! Because her self esteem was strong, she attacked the challenges of her life with confidence and implacable determination, and won.
My daughter has become a cheerful, unique, self-referring and self reliant adult, and I credit her success to two things: the ideas I got from this book, and my daughter's on powerful will and determination, fueled by the confidence Your Child's Self Esteem gave this parent!
While Ms. Briggs, writing back in the 70's, might not have been terribly politically correct in her discussion of homosexuality (page 144, mentioned in other reviews -- I've actually forgotten what was said), I think we're all adult enough to take what she says, remember when she said it, and filter those ideas through our own value systems to make correct choices. That's a lot of what her book is about, after all!
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
REAL help "understanding" children for all parents/teachers, May 7, 2000
This review is from: Your Child's Self-Esteem (Paperback)
As a father, public school administrator, and college professor teaching public school teachers, I have recommended this book to hundreds of others. Without a single exception, those with whom I've shared this title have responded that it was of unusually great value. Many feel it is the best insight into adult/child relationships they have ever found. Written in casual language for lay people, it is especially helpful at diagnosing adult behaviors that give rise to child behaviors that trouble and perplex their parents and teachers. Kids are the way they are with cause and reason, and Dorothy Briggs will help you understand the causes and reasons. It is an easy read and will likely help you in your relationships with others very much. I have just ordered another copy to give a personal friend who has a troubling and troubled teen. Best wishes...
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best parenting (and inter-relating) books ever, August 2, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Your Child's Self-Esteem (Paperback)
The whole idea of self-esteem has been misrepresented and mocked in recent years. People who don't really underatand the concept think it means falsely praising children and giving them an unrealistically inflated sense of their abilities or an annoying conceit. What it really means is letting the child know he or she is lovable and worthwhile, which every human being certainly is to begin with. Most all parents feel this about their children in some ways--they love them--but we can communicate otherwise and end up making the child feel inadequate, unloved, that only performance brings approval. The book is beautifully and compellingly written and can really help you see the way if you're feeling uncertain of your parenting or down about how your children are behaving. I always felt better and inspired after reading it and thought of it as a gift to myself and my family--it helped me remember what is really important and also gave me definite ideas about how to parent more effectively, with pertinent information about what kids need at different ages. Along with How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk, I think it's the best there is!
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