Children: The Challenge

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Summary: A must read book for parents, grandparents, and teachers.
Review: This book clearly explains healthy child rearing principles and how to apply them. The text is informative and at the same time, entertaining reading. I think this book should be required reading for anyone who spends time with children

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Summary: wonderful introduction for parents and educators
Review: This book provides an excellent overview of Dreikurs primary theories and thoughts, based both upon his Adlerian training and upon his own ideas. He uses the American system of democracy to its fullest, and explains how to interact with children, who, like adults, are free and innately powerful. His four goals are simple and instrumental in learning the positive goals of children, and of individuals in general, and they help to release parents from the "power trap" that they are in. Excellent, well written, and a powerful tool for change.

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Summary: Children: The Challenge
Review: This book was presented to me back in the 70's. Today I pass it on to one of my daughters, age 33, who is using this new addition to help her with her three children. This helped us through the 70's and my children still talk about the methods we used in those days that were recommended by Dr.Dreikurs. I think this book is oustanding and actually phenonmenal. Most of all it is SIMPLE. I recommend it to anyone trying to raise children without understanding or guidance as to where to start. It is so simple, it cuts out all the screaming, fighting and manipulations little ones are goo at and saves Mommy from frustration and insanity.

Rating:
Summary: Children: The Challenge
Review: This book was presented to me back in the 70's. Today I pass it on to two of my daughters, age 33 and age 35, who are using this new addition to help them with their children. This helped us through the 70's and my children still talk about the methods we used in those days that were recommended by Dr. Alfred Dreikurs. I think this book is oustanding and actually phenonmenal. Most of all it is SIMPLE. I recommend it to anyone trying to raise children without understanding or guidance and feel lost. It is so simple, it cuts out all the screaming, fighting, whinning, begging and manipulations little ones are so good at and saves Mommy from frustration and insanity. Daddies can use it too.

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Summary: Not about discipline
Review: This book was referred to me by my then 3 year old daughters Montessori teacher during a time I was having difficulties with my daughter. This book teaches how to have a relationship with your child. This, as a result, eliminates the need for "discipline." It doesn't just tell you what not to do, it tells you what to do, how to handle different situations. It uses examples to demonstrate actions (and your reactions). It covers many different issues, such as getting your child out the door in the morning, sibling rivalry, independence, cooperation. It takes a perspective of respect for the child as a person and creating a relationship with the children to gain the behavior you wish. It really helped me move away from my frustration with not having my daughter heed my simple command. Once I enforced "logical consequences" and "disengaged" from power struggles, I gained much more cooperation from my daughter, without taking away her independence or respect for herself. It is a GREAT book. I plan to give it at the next baby shower.

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Summary: Give this one to new parents!
Review: This is my standard gift to new parents. Some of them have thanked me years later for the help they have gleaned from this book. Dreijurs' methods provide for the raising of responsible, thoughtful adults, while keeping the animosity and conflict out of parenting. Definitely worth 5 stars! (My two daughters were raised with this book at my elbow.)

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Summary: Children: The Challege
Review: This is the best book I have ever, ever read. I went to a seminar given by a local published psychologist and he told us it was the best book on child discipline he had ever read. That is why I got it. In one week my life has been changed by this book. I have learned techniques to motivate my children and avoid power struggles which had been a part of my daily life for the last five years. My only regret is that I did not get this book sooner. I could not be more impressed. This is something that really works. I have told all my friends. I want the world to know too.

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Summary: This book has the answers!
Review: Unlike other parenting books, this book is not just theory, but rather practical, useful, and tested rules to produce effective parenting. Rearing children is actually fun to do while observing the principles given in this book. After reading the specific rules given in the first part of the book, the readers can see if they understand by applying them to the case studies in the second part. "Children: The Challenge" is absolutely essential for effective, rewarding parenting.

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Summary: Still the best child-raising book around!
Review: When my first daughter was born 28 years ago, I received Dreikurs's book as a gift. I proceeded to apply his lessons, and continued to do so when my second daughter was born four years later. Still now, my daughters love to spend time with me. They say that my firm, yet loving--and most importantly, consistent--parenting gave them a strong base of trust in me. When the three of us get into a car, they are not even conscious of the way they take turns sitting in the front and back. (Residue of my 20-y.old refusal to get involved in their bickering, and that old threat--always real--that I would drive away without them.) They are unaware of the absence of competition between them over my attention; instead, they decide how to split my free time, then present me with their respective plans. (Residue over my removing myself from a situation they might make unpleasant to me, and my demand to deal only with civilized, respectful tone of voice.) And over the years, if a fight between them lingered I would not mention it, but for a day or two give extra doses of kisses and hugs to the aggressive one until she calmed down. Peace would be restore for months or even years.

Over the years I recommended this book to many friends. Once, when my neighbor was having problems with her four kids ranging from 3 to 13, I gave her my copy. She and her husband read it overnight, and in 3 days the family was back on track. The dealing with all siblings as a pack worked miracles for them. The only complaint was from the older ones about how things changed ever since their parents read "that book." But they seemed to function so much better both individually and as a group. Dreikurs's book was the only one I ever needed, and it helped me deal both with small, daily crisis, as well as with overall life's issues. <[e-mail]>

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Summary: Great for dealing with children of all ages!
Review: When we decided to start trying to have a family, my husband and I bought this book on the recommendation of my father and older brother and his wife. My brother is raising three darling and happy daughters who are delightful to be around. My husband has told me he's going to be able to use some of the things we're reading in this book to improve relations with some people he works with. So it's not just little kids who could benefit from these techniques...

One reader mentioned some of the examples are a little out of date, and that's true. But it isn't hard to figure out the modern equivalent.

My father says this book was his bible when he and my mom were raising me and my siblings. He recommended my brother re-read a chapter or two every week, just to keep the ideas fresh. I know when ever they have a problem, they pull out the book.