Hearing Is Believing: How Words Can Make or Break Our Kids and over 450,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
39 used & new from $5.63
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
or
Get a $1.25 Amazon.com Gift Card
 
   
Hearing Is Believing: How Words Can Make or Break Our Kids
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading Hearing Is Believing: How Words Can Make or Break Our Kids on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

Hearing Is Believing: How Words Can Make or Break Our Kids (Paperback)

~ Elisa Medhus (Author) "the relationship between children and adults has changed profoundly over the centuries..." (more)
Key Phrases: try providing objective information, child answers this question, praise mechanism, Santa Claus, Boy Scout, Buddy Day (more...)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
List Price: $16.95
Price: $11.53 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $5.42 (32%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, March 23? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
26 new from $10.00 13 used from $5.63

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $9.99   -- --
Paperback $11.53   $10.00 $5.63

Frequently Bought Together

Hearing Is Believing: How Words Can Make or Break Our Kids + Raising Children Who Think for Themselves + Parents Do Make a Difference: How to Raise Kids with Solid Character, Strong Minds, and Caring Hearts (The Jossey-Bass Psychology Series)
Total List Price: $55.90
Price For All Three: $41.68

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Raising Children Who Think for Themselves

Raising Children Who Think for Themselves

by Elisa Medhus
4.6 out of 5 stars (14)  $17.91
Parents Do Make a Difference: How to Raise Kids with Solid Character, Strong Minds, and Caring Hearts (The Jossey-Bass Psychology Series)

Parents Do Make a Difference: How to Raise Kids with Solid Character, Strong Minds, and Caring Hearts (The Jossey-Bass Psychology Series)

by Michele Borba
5.0 out of 5 stars (19)  $12.24
The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids

The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids

by Jenn Berman
4.9 out of 5 stars (24)  $10.17
The Power of Positive Parenting : A Wonderful Way to Raise Children

The Power of Positive Parenting : A Wonderful Way to Raise Children

by Glenn Latham
4.8 out of 5 stars (29)  $16.47
Peaceful Parents, Peaceful Kids: Practical Ways to Create a Calm and Happy Home

Peaceful Parents, Peaceful Kids: Practical Ways to Create a Calm and Happy Home

by Naomi Drew
4.5 out of 5 stars (14) 
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In Hearing Is Believing, award-winning author Elisa Medhus argues that even seemingly harmless phrases such as "You're such a good girl" can encourage children to become approval seekers, thwart their ability to reason, or both. Over time, these children become less inclined to trust their parents' guidance and internalize their values. Exposing potentially harmful words and phrases, many that may surprise readers, this book suggests language changes that are simple to implement and keep up. Stories illustrate positive results.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: New World Library (March 25, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1577314271
  • ISBN-13: 978-1577314271
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #333,212 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #12 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > By Topic > Communication

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Elisa Medhus
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Elisa Medhus Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
the relationship between children and adults has changed profoundly over the centuries. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
try providing objective information, child answers this question, praise mechanism, overheard praise, external beacons, inner sentry, inner dishonesty, reactive words, impartial observation, teen answers, try questioning, try using humor, try delivering, using questioning, silent praise, external direction, inner judge, healthier alternatives
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Santa Claus, Boy Scout, Buddy Day, Joan of Arc
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 2 books:

Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
 

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(2)
See all 2 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST read!, May 2, 2004
By A Customer
I didn't expect to laugh the whole way through as well as gain insight into new techniques in parenting. Dr. Elisa Medhus shares how words such as "Stop that!" and "I'm so disappointed in you" are just not the right things to say. Instead she teaches many types of word phrasing:

-Objective
-Observational
-"I" Messages
-Questioning

Examples include: "Feet belong on the floor, not on the table." "It's not safe to rollerblade without a helmet."

She also makes me laugh with her candid guinea-pig examples of family scuffles. It provides a lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek backdrop for the true substance and life applications in "Hearing is Believing." What a great book!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Every parent should read this book!, May 24, 2004
By A Customer
What an insightful and helpful guide to parenting. I believe I can do a better job of raising my seven-year-old as a result of reading this book. It made me realize the importance of enabling my child to be more responsible and how that will help him build his self-esteem. Her message was strong and clear that parents need to help children recognize their own self-worth and let that, rather than continual outside validation, determine how they feel about themselves. I feel better prepared to do this after reading this book.

It is well known that the way we raise our children has a huge impact on how they will function as adults. Elisa Medhus allowed me to better understand that. What better gift to give our children than the chance to be highly functioning adults who can actually feel good about themselves? This book will help parents give their children a better shot at a healthy and happy life. The author has a great sense of humor which made the reading all the more enjoyable. I highly recommend this book for all parents.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Any Adult Who Talks to Kids, May 1, 2004
By A Customer
I've read a lot of books over the years, but this one is truly remarkable and unique. Medhus has a style all her own. Her love for all children, not just her own five, comes through in every paragraph. And from page one, I could tell she's one of us--a mom who's been there in the foxholes struggling to raise her kids in an age when doing so has never been harder. Thank God for the rest of us, she's come up with solutions that can make most of those struggles go away. Her advice is practical and easy to follow, and she presents it in a humorous way that made me laugh from cover to cover. I couldn't put the book down! More important: I've tried her suggestions out, and they really work! Dramatically. My life as a parent has transformed because of it. My three kids are happier and better behaved. Raising them is actually fun--and easy. My relationship with my them (and my husband) is the best it's every been. Plus the whole family seems happier and more peaceful. The real question is: Why hasn't anyone thought of this concept before? Seriously! So, if you want a book that will--almost overnight--change life for the better for you and your kids, read this Hearing is Believing! I'll put good money on a bet that this one will win as many awards as her first book, Raising Children Who Think for Themselves, did.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Good message - but a little too complex
Medhus has a great message in this book. I was with this book whole heartedly for the first 4 chapters. Read more
Published 18 months ago by J. Winkler

4.0 out of 5 stars Good ideas, sometimes flawed.
Mathus has some wonderfully helpful things to say about how to talk to children to foster cooperation rather then defiance, and what she says about raising children to be self... Read more
Published on January 15, 2008

5.0 out of 5 stars EVERYONE should read this book!
This book was amazing. It not only explains everything in a simple to understand way, the author gives you ways to easily implement alternative ways of communicating with your... Read more
Published on November 1, 2004 by Yvonne Dodds

5.0 out of 5 stars An important set of considerations on underlying teachings
Words can make or break a child's efforts, and effective communication with kids involves choosing them carefully. Read more
Published on July 9, 2004 by Midwest Book Review

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Advice
Elisa has done a great job of providing a highly readable book that all parents should take the time to read. Read more
Published on May 19, 2004 by Happy Eater

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!!
This is great information, if only our parents had read a book like this. I believe some of the negative things that are said to us by our parents are rerun in our heads until we... Read more
Published on May 14, 2004

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:

















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.