The Pocket Parent
by Caroline Winkler, Gail Reichlin
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Book Reviews of The Pocket Parent
Book Review: The BEST A-Z Guide for Parents with 2's, 3's, 4's and 5's
Summary: 5 Stars
The Pocket Parent is an amazing collection of upbeat sanity saving suggestions on every possible challenging behavior you can think of...Bad words, Bedtime, Biting, Chores,the Gimmes, Sibling Fights, Lying, Interrupting, Morning Crazies, Potty Training, Whining and more. I learned that inorder to change my child's behavior, I will probably need to change my approach first.
This book with almost 400 pages is easily portable (4" X 8") and is loaded with compassion and humor from the two authors who "have been there, done that" raising their own children right along with us. There is nothing in this book that you don't already know...it's just that we forget the communication options we can choose to use instead of automatically reacting by yelling, bribing, nagging, threatening, criticizing and punishing in the heat of the moment. I keep saying to myself as I read this book..."That makes so much sense...why didn't I think of that?" But it's never to late to improve... and things are definitely better at our house.
My favorite part of the layout of the quick read bullets of information are the short true to life anecdotes. It's as if the authors had been looking in my window as my 3 and 4 year olds push my buttons!
I truly feel comforted that I am not alone in the trials and tribulations of raising a toddler/preshooler.
I especially appreciate the annotated list of 120 books to read with 2-5 year olds relating to each behavior topic. That list is worth the price of the book all by itself. My child loves to hear stories about other children that misbehave.
This book is a reasonably priced gold mine. Keep in handy either in the bathroom or on your bedside table for quick reference in your very few minutes of peace.
If you have a 2, 3, 4, or 5 year old...this book will give you ideas to try as well as make you laugh on almost every page.
Pocket Parent does not have a single "Should" or "Don't" in the entire book. I had the pleasure of hearing the author who recently visited our Connecticut school district say, "The true experts of any child are his own parents. No one knows a child better than his mom or dad. So it is the job of each parent to take these ideas and filter them through their own personality and parenting style to see what strategies make good sense for their family. And if one works once...be grateful! It may not work again!"
There are hundreds of tips, insights and techniques to try in this book. My daycare bought a copy for all 75 family at the center.
Thank you to the authors for a practical, uplifting compassionate guide that I refer to again and again. The support and ideas I have found within these pages help to refill my "love tank" so that I can be in a better emotional place to respond more sanely to the challenges my children throw my way.
Book Review: Wise, Witty Workable Suggestions... NO Preaching!,
Summary: 5 Stars
In December, the Chicago-based author of this book spoke to parents and teachers in our school district in San Jose, CA where she received a standing ovation. She totally WOWed us with her enlightening, encouraging and very entertaining style. Those same three words describe her easy reference very popular guidebook (with almost 100,000 copies in print).
"Pocket Parent" is quite unique and very well-priced--considering the wealth of information and friendly support offered between its 400 hundred pages...all targeted to moms AND dads with children in a most challenging 4-year age span...2's, 3's, 4's and 5's.
This book offers clearly organized, very specific information on a variety of behaviors with compassion, experience, and humor.
THE POCKET PARENT is designed for busy parents to refer to as needed--each chapter stands alone. It is written in quick bullets of information rather than paragraphs so you do not have to read the entire book cover to cover to get a couple of ideas to try immediately (or later as things calm down).
The practical information is combined with insight and long term understanding towards successfully changing behavior...both the child's and the parent's.
"Pocket Parent" is literally a pocket-sized (4" X 8") A-Z guide, addressing every challenging situation you can think of such as...Anger, Bad Words, Bedtime, Biting, "Gimmes", Hitting, Interrupting, Listening, Lying, Mealtime, Morning "Crazies", Potty Training, Power Struggles, Tantrums, Time-Outs that aren't working...and much more.
I keep this book handy on my bedside table--ready to give me some strategies to try for the next day... along with a much needed "verbal hug" when I'm feeling guilty that I've been a frazzled, failure of a mother earlier that day. "Pocket Parent" is definitely NOT preachy nor condescending from "holier than thou" experts. The authors include many humorous anecdotes (some personal regarding their own children) that truly hit home from beginning to end. Those are my favorite parts of this book.
I highly recommend this comprehensive, parent-friendly reference book that offers sanity saving advice and support from beginning to end.
Book Review: Supportive Trouble-Shooting Guide for 2,3,4,and 5 Year Olds
Summary: 5 Stars
This A-Z quick read parenting book, focusing solely on toddler/preschooler behavior, has restored my sanity time after time by reminding me that in order to change my child's behavior, I will have to change mine first.
I learned that it is not just WHAT you say to the child but HOW you chose to say it that can bring you the cooperation you are looking for.
THE POCKET PARENT gives moms and dads hundreds of positive discipline techniques to choose from as to how to handle whining, biting, hitting, tantrums, sibling fights, disrespectful attitude, meal and bedtime refusals, bad words, morning crazies, potty training, parent deafness, interrupting, not picking up the toys and much more.
I love the fact that the subjects are in an alphabetical arrangement and that each behavior topic stands alone... Actually each bulleted suggestion stands alone. You do not have to read the entire book to get a tip and some humor to make your day a little less stressful.
The short anecdotes are fun to read and very familiar! They help me know for sure that I am not alone in the challanges I face daily. That is very comforting!
Although there are a variety of A-Z behavior compendiums for sale, this is the ONLY one that is written just for this age group (2-6 year olds) on every annoying behavior you can think of.
Detailed, upbeat, parent friendly text that does not preach. The book is loaded with techniques that really work...at least once!
The Pocket Parent suggest that you choose your battles carefully. The authors, mothers themselves, emphasize that you can not fight them all. They say take a breath and ask yourself, "Is this really going to matter an hour from now, a day from now, a week from now."
THE ANNOTATED PICTURE BOOK LIST ORGANIZED BY BEHAVIOR TOPIC (including over 100 books) IS WORTH THE PRICE OF THE BOOK ALL BY ITSELF!
VERY REASONABLY PRICED FOR SO MUCH HELPFUL, EASY ACCESS INFORMATION!
Book Review: The Pocket Parent
Summary: 1 Stars
Being a full time nanny and care giver for years, I often buy help guides to update my activities and discipline techniques every couple of years. I recently purchased 2 other nanny guides (Nanny 911 and Supernanny) which were excellent advice and guidelines for child care givers and parents alike. I recommend both books highly. Unfortunately, I also purchased the Pocket Parent as well. What a disappointment! Unbelievably horrible advice in many examples which could absolutely cause problelms once implemented. Telling the parents that it is okay to stop a full scale tantrum by giving in every once in a while!
This is exactly why I, as a nanny have to deal with the tantrems- because the parents "give in". Responsible and consistent discipline is very important, and to tell a parent not to "sweat the small stuff" and to "give in", is just plain bad advice. This "small stuff" of letting your child win is why we have adults in this world that don't take responsibility for their own actions and do not treat people kindly. I'm sorry, but this advice was poorly written and in many instances as I paged through the chapters quickly, I found the same bad advice for bedtime and many other subjects. I do not recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the correct techniques of child care and discipline. There are so many other books that give good advice. Dr. Phil's "Family Matters" is also another good choice. Stay away from bad advice. It may seem like "small stuff" to parents that want the easy way out, but the consequences later on will be much harder to deal with as they become teenagers and parents of their own.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS BOOK IF YOU TRULY WANT TO RAISE A GOOD, RESPONSIBLE HUMAN BEING.
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Book Review: Great Advice and Easy to Implement Tips !
Summary: 5 Stars
I think this is a great book with many easy to use, quick reminders of ways to manage your kiddos! It's a good list of things you can try to get the behavior you're looking for. It gives tips for potty training, what to do if they're using bad words, fighting, etc.
If you look up 'power struggles' the book encourages you to try not to ask yes/no questions if "no" is an unacceptable answer - you've just set yourself up for a struggle if the kid says "no". Instead reply with "Yes, after you..." It also suggests that when you state your request in as few words as possible it is less likely to be tuned out.
Or a discipline technique reminds you to make the consequence of misbehavior immediate (e.g. timeout vs. moving bedtime earlier from 7:00 to 6:30). If the consequence is too far away, they don't associate it with the behavior.
It also helps reinforce good behavior. For example, if you look up 'self-esteem' it reminds you to praise your children for specific things (e.g. "Thank you for picking up all your toys and putting them away neatly" vs. "Good job"). It also suggests not using "best" and "greatest" as in "best swimmer" which can create difficult expectations to live up to. Instead, praise them for being "very creative" or "doing a smart thing", not "being the smartest kid".
It's easy to read and provides useful tips or scenarios from various individual's experiences.
In short, no two kids are alike and no one strategy works all the time. I recommend it as a resource to give you ideas about different things to try with your kids.