Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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42 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Chores are NOT appropriate punishment for bad manners . . ., April 9, 1998
My 4-year-old son LOVED The Berenstain Bears' New Baby and it was a big help in preparing for the arrival of his baby sister. So when we were struggling with remembering manners, I bought this book, certain that it would help. However, I ended up disagreeing with the approach to correcting bad or forgotten manners and rude behavior. This book outlined specific chores as punishments for various offenses. As parents, we have learned that allowing children to help around the house with things like sweeping, taking out the garbage, and helping Mommy empty the dishwasher (the plastic stuff!) is very empowering and makes kids feel like they can contribute to the household and they enjoy being part of the "family team" (hopefully this will continue into their teens since we've started them as toddlers!). Also, I learned that I should probably read through any new book by myself at least once before sitting down to read it to my children (parents can learn too!). Just a thought.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!, December 14, 2005
The world lost a real gem of a writer when Stan Berenstain passed on November 29. Together, Berenstain and his wife, Jan, and eventually their two sons, created books featuring lovable but flawed characters who tackle just about every real issue that faces families.
This book is a great example. Almost all parents are familiar with the difficulty that kids have in learning and practicing good manners, and often have a tough time in teaching kids how to be polite. One of the best things about this book is that it's not just the kids who are the naughty ones, Papa Bear has some rudeness problems, and even Mama Bear succumbs to an issue at one point. It's great for kids to learn that manners are a lifelong skill that will always take a little bit of practice. This book is a wonderful place to start.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book for manners, December 28, 2005
We love this book in our house. It teaches what happens when a home runs amuck with bad manners. Shoving, name calling, blaming, throwing food, you name it, the bears have it and mama is tired of it. So, she puts together the bear family manners plan and if they forget them, then they have certain chores they have to do as reminders. Now, I agree with the other reviewer that chores as a punishment isn't exactly the best approach, but when they're chores that normally are not pleasant (such as cleaning up after an animal's waste) and have to be divided equally, then I can see the punishment factor coming into play there as being appropriate. I've emptied cat boxes most of my life and I still don't enjoy doing it so I can see that as being an effective punishment for bad manners.
Anyway, that said, the cubs go way overboard in being nice to one another. So much so that it's sickening and their goal is to have mama cancel the whole thing and let them go back to being ridiculous. However, mama doesn't go back and they learn to enjoy each other and treat each other with respect. Papa, however, learns the lesson the hard way and does many chores. But, when he runs into another car and a very angry bear gets out, he remembers his manners and a potentially ugly situation was avoided just by using good manners.
This book has been read quite a bit in our house and has had a wonderful effect. I sincerely highly recommend it!
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