Rating: 
Summary: Parenting Wisdom
Review: I have read countless parenting books and consulted professional child and marriage psychologists for guidance in raising my two wonderful daughters. In comparison, Dr. Mogel's The Blessing of a Skinned Knee is WISDOM, not guidance. Her book helped me to recognize that my responsibility is to be concerned most with building strength of character, not strength of grades and achievement. That I need to help my nine-year old and seven-year old with WHO they are, not WHAT they are. Our achievement-driven age sends the opposite message, and, consequently, it is so easy to lose sleep over the wrong things. In an inspirational story of personal and professional transformation, Dr. Mogel tells us of how her own search for effective parenting strategies led her to discover that a religious tradition -- in her case Judaism -- gives her a structure for making healthy parenting choices. As parent raising two daughters and as professional psychologist offering advice to parents and teachers, she gives us a framework upon which to base our decisions and behavior to help our children grow into healthy, independent adults. With this new understanding, I re-read some of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee before going to bed each night, and my sleep is getting better.
Rating:
Summary: Well Written, Common sense for parents
Review: I was brought(in the European orthodox Jewish tradition ) up to respect my elders, as well as others. How refreshing to read a guide that lets us be parents (as opposed to buddies) with our kids. I enjoyed telling my 'old fashioned' parents that a up to date psychologist agrees with their way of parenting!! This book helps you see that you can be a good friend and guide to your kids without letting them become the boss. While I would not use this book as a source for Jewish theology (or law), Mogel does a beautiful job of using Jewish sources to help all parents with universal parenting issues. Thank you Dr Mogel!!
Rating: 
Summary: Use a band-aid instead
Review: I was turned off from the outset by this book's suggestion that the author's version of spirituality and morality was the "right" one, and everyone else was off the mark somehow. Then the advice itself was less than helpful.
Rating:
Summary: The blessings of a skinned knee
Review: In these days where every child has to be either brilliant or learning disabled, this is a "fresh" approach which says that every child is unique and can be just ordinary too. It teaches simple, age old values that can raise good solid world citizens instead of self centred tyrants. It shouts wisdom from every page. An excellent book which I would highly recommend to people of all faiths wanting to raise a responsible child with healthy moral values.
Rating:
Summary: The Recipe for Raising Menches
Review: It is an unfortunate cultural truth that we American Jews often treat our kids like fine, hot-house flowers - delicate creatures with frail egos, in constant need of support and nurturing, lest they wilt under the strain of everyday living. This author's wise reflections on parenting demonstrate that trying to iron out any difficulties our children may face in life - now and in the future - actually hinders their development, producing offspring that have far less initiative, resilience, and character than they should! And it's true! Lately I avoid going to my daughter's soccer matches, because it's too silly to watch the field flood with doctors, lawyers, and therapists every time a kid makes contact with the ball! The author of this very useful book offers wonderfully concrete advice about finding a way to lovingly reassert our moral authority and spiritual mentorship over our children. As a mother of four, living in the same city and cultural/religious milieu as the author, I am impressed with her thoroughness in covering this topic, her compassion for both parents and children, and her knowledge of ancient and contemporary Jewish parenting literature. But most of all, I am impressed by the frank, realistic, and practical steps she offers parents (Jewish or not) for helping their children find strength - true moral, spiritual and psychological strength - in who they are as individuals. By the way, though only one percent of the Israeli population lives on a kibbutz (community farm), the kibbutzes regularly produce about 80 percent of the country's military and political leadership. Seems those tough farm kids know a thing or two about resilience!
Rating: 
Summary: an unusual journey
Review: Neither a parenting book nor a religious tract, "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee" still provides useful lessons in both areas. Its message is that children have the potential to be surprisingly wise and noble and inspiring, but they must be helped along by a firm, respectful, and commanding adult presence. The teachings of Judaism are used to show how a balanced, meaning-focused approach to family life (as opposed to the hedonistic MTV lifestyle or the hectic, achievement-oriented lifestyle of many suburban families) can bring both parents and children to a higher spiritual level while also helping them get along with each other - and themselves. Mogel's words are inspiring, even for non-parents; however, the book's 250 pages could be pared down to half that, streamlining the prose without losing any of its insight. In addition, the author's attitude is self-righteous and critical at times; she is clearly convinced of the strength of her argument, but her impatience and condesenscion are unappealing. Still, this is a valuable, thought-provoking read.
Rating:
Summary: an unusual journey
Review: Neither a parenting book nor a religious tract, "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee" still provides useful lessons in both areas. Its message is that children have the potential to be surprisingly wise and noble and inspiring, but they must be helped along by a firm, respectful, and commanding adult presence. The teachings of Judaism are used to show how a balanced, meaning-focused approach to family life (as opposed to the hedonistic MTV lifestyle or the hectic, achievement-oriented lifestyle of many suburban families) can bring both parents and children to a higher spiritual level while also helping them get along with each other - and themselves. Mogel's words are inspiring, even for non-parents; however, the book's 250 pages could be pared down to half that, streamlining the prose without losing any of its insight. In addition, the author's attitude is self-righteous and critical at times; she is clearly convinced of the strength of her argument, but her impatience and condesenscion are unappealing. Still, this is a valuable, thought-provoking read.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and wonderful!
Review: So what can I say that has not been said? This is a great little book! So I'll highlight some issues she brings up that I hope will catch your attention enough to investigate it.
I appreciate her point about children's freedom. Most people don't realize that statistically speaking, children are FAR more likely to be hurt/killed automobile accident than they are by being abducted by a stranger (Most kids who are hurt by others are harmed by family), and that the rate of crimes against children has NOT increased in the past 30 years. And yet so many of us behave as if our children can not be unsupervised for a second--can not walk the dog, kick a ball around in a field or ride their bike to the pool. This is really wrong, and as the author notes, robs children of the best part of childhood to appease our own irrational fantasies. We SHOULD be shaking in our boots that our car will be hit by an SUV when our child is in it, but we don't think twice about taking our kids for a drive. Lastly, I loved her emphasis on letting the child experience making choices and experiencing relatively low cost consequences. For example, if a child chooses to have a messy room, don't help them find things that get buried, or go in to fetch the laundry from the floor. Letting them experiencing the natural consequences for thier choices is far more powerful than a million lectures. And later on, if your teen sleeps in class/dosen't do homework/skips school, don't rush in to blame the teacher--make the kid take responsibility and give him the dignity of learning to solve his own problems! It shows that I'm a former teacher here, and I loved what she had to say about supporting your child's education by supporting their character development. My only real complaint is that she confuses being spiritual with worshiping a god. The fact that you do not believe in god dosen't mean you can't teach a child to feel awe, humility and embrace tikkun olam! Besides, are we really supposed to start believing in something irrational to help our children become more independant and rational?
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and wonderful!
Review: So what can I say that has not been said? This is a great little book! So I'll highlight some issues she brings up that I hope will catch your attention enough to investigate it.
I appreciate her point about children's freedom. Most people don't realize that statistically speaking, children are FAR more likely to be hurt/killed automobile accident than they are by being abducted by a stranger (Most kids who are hurt by others are harmed by family), and that the rate of crimes against children has NOT increased in the past 30 years. And yet so many of us behave as if our children can not be unsupervised for a second--can not walk the dog, kick a ball around in a field or ride their bike to the pool. This is really wrong, and as the author notes, robs children of the best part of childhood to appease our own irrational fantasies. We SHOULD be shaking in our boots that our car will be hit by an SUV when our child is in it, but we don't think twice about taking our kids for a drive. Lastly, I loved her emphasis on letting the child experience making choices and experiencing relatively low cost consequences. For example, if a child chooses to have a messy room, don't help them find things that get buried, or go in to fetch the laundry from the floor. Letting them experiencing the natural consequences for thier choices is far more powerful than a million lectures. And later on, if your teen sleeps in class/dosen't do homework/skips school, don't rush in to blame the teacher--make the kid take responsibility and give him the dignity of learning to solve his own problems! It shows that I'm a former teacher here, and I loved what she had to say about supporting your child's education by supporting their character development. My only real complaint is that she confuses being spiritual with worshiping a god. The fact that you do not believe in god dosen't mean you can't teach a child to feel awe, humility and embrace tikkun olam! Besides, are we really supposed to start believing in something irrational to help our children become more independant and rational?
Rating: 
Summary: A Bad, Bad Book
Review: This book had been recomended to me by many people. I was shocked at how biased it was and how it used the most anecdotal evidence to support its views. The author points out that there are gender differences between boys and girls and then uses that to support her contention that girls shouldn't be encouraged to excell at traditional "boy" things, like science. Yet, real educational studies show that girls who are encouraged in these areas do very well.
The author brags that at the Jewish Day School her kids attend the conferences with parents last only seven minutes and that the teachers don't praise kids to their parents. Why she thinks this is good I have no idea. After months of interacting with a child a teacher surely has found more than seven minutes worth of stuff to say about a child. And many children (maybe not the authors) are worthy of praise. Indeed, as most educators know, children often exhibit good behavior with their teachers that they don't around their parents. The author seems unaware of this and implies that if a teacher praises a child it is done simply to make the parents feel good. I feel sorry for the author's kids if she really believes this.
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