Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive and Helpful
Review: As an occupational therapist and mom of a child with a unique learning style, this book has helped me articulate abstract thoughts that help children, in real time, with real issues, succeed. Parents find the book's ideas profound but the tone simple enough to easily implement. As a therapist, I find ideas to integrate into treatment and to help me explain to parents their role in supporting their child's ultimate success or failure. I think families would be so much more successful if this were required reading before they brought their bundles home from the hospitals.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and Helpful
Review: As an occupational therapist and mom of a child with a unique learning style, this book has helped me articulate abstract thoughts that help children, in real time, with real issues, succeed. Parents find the book's ideas profound but the tone simple enough to easily implement. As a therapist, I find ideas to integrate into treatment and to help me explain to parents their role in supporting their child's ultimate success or failure. I think families would be so much more successful if this were required reading before they brought their bundles home from the hospitals.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book for parents.
Review: I think that this book is fabulous. The advice is definately top rate. They have examples from their practice to show how their theories work and how they could be helpful for you. I highly recommend this book. I checked this out at the library and then bought a copy, because I know I will be refering to this book again and again.
Rating:
Summary: a breath of fresh air
Review: The authors Brooks and Goldstein are obviously aware of the challenges that face parents with ADHD and ODD children. This is evidenced by their list of recommended reading. Too often, the discourse of ADHD and ODD is negative. Brooks and Goldstein challenge parents to think of the talents and "islands of competence" of their children. Such reframing is a breath of fresh air. The authors provide many suggestions on how to encourage children and develop their self-esteem. My only regret with the book was when I came to the last page. I wanted to keep on reading!
Rating:
Summary: a breath of fresh air
Review: The authors Brooks and Goldstein are obviously aware of the challenges that face parents with ADHD and ODD children. This is evidenced by their list of recommended reading. Too often, the discourse of ADHD and ODD is negative. Brooks and Goldstein challenge parents to think of the talents and "islands of competence" of their children. Such reframing is a breath of fresh air. The authors provide many suggestions on how to encourage children and develop their self-esteem. My only regret with the book was when I came to the last page. I wanted to keep on reading!
Rating: 
Summary: "Good parenting" from a cognitive-behavioral viewpoint
Review: The authors, both clinical psychologists and professors, state ten principles which they believe lead to "resilience" in children. Resilience is defined as "the ability of a child to deal more effectively with stress and pressure, to cope with everyday challenges, to bounce back from disappointments, adversity, and trauma, to set clear and realistic goals, to solve problems, to relate comfortably with others, and to treat oneself and others with respect" (p. 1)These ten principles are "idealized" child "mindsets," which parental behavior supports. The authors do not criticize parents for not supporting their children all the time. Instead, they give numerous suggestions and examples of what a parent can do to improve their communication with their children. The tone of this book is "talky" and easy to read. Perhaps 2/3rds of the examples are about children; the rest, adolescents. Almost all examples come from the authors' extensive psychotherapy and family therapy practices. I have some quibbles with the logic of some of their conclusions, but, in general, parents will find this an easy and helpful read. Although the topic of "resilience" is a part of the newly emerging field of "social-emotional learning" (SEL), educators will find this book harder to use. The children in the examples attend schools, but there is no description of how to implement a resilience curriculum. The authors also publish a workbook, "Raising resilient children: A curriculum to foster strength, hope, and optimism in children." This workbook is tied to a video that the authors have produced (but which is not sold with the workbook; the video must be ordered from the publisher and I have not seen it on Amazon.com). This workbook provides exercises with which they can build the competence to support their children. This workbook also gives the gist of their argument, and teaches parents directly how to implement the skills to support their child.
Rating:
Summary: "Good parenting" from a cognitive-behavioral viewpoint
Review: The authors, both clinical psychologists and professors, state ten principles which they believe lead to "resilience" in children. Resilience is defined as "the ability of a child to deal more effectively with stress and pressure, to cope with everyday challenges, to bounce back from disappointments, adversity, and trauma, to set clear and realistic goals, to solve problems, to relate comfortably with others, and to treat oneself and others with respect" (p. 1) These ten principles are "idealized" child "mindsets," which parental behavior supports. The authors do not criticize parents for not supporting their children all the time. Instead, they give numerous suggestions and examples of what a parent can do to improve their communication with their children. The tone of this book is "talky" and easy to read. Perhaps 2/3rds of the examples are about children; the rest, adolescents. Almost all examples come from the authors' extensive psychotherapy and family therapy practices. I have some quibbles with the logic of some of their conclusions, but, in general, parents will find this an easy and helpful read. Although the topic of "resilience" is a part of the newly emerging field of "social-emotional learning" (SEL), educators will find this book harder to use. The children in the examples attend schools, but there is no description of how to implement a resilience curriculum. The authors also publish a workbook, "Raising resilient children: A curriculum to foster strength, hope, and optimism in children." This workbook is tied to a video that the authors have produced (but which is not sold with the workbook; the video must be ordered from the publisher and I have not seen it on Amazon.com). This workbook provides exercises with which they can build the competence to support their children. This workbook also gives the gist of their argument, and teaches parents directly how to implement the skills to support their child.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book for parents.
Review: The new book Raising Resiliant Children should be the first stop on your next trip to the bookstore. Through almost 100 personal antecdotes Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein explain concepts of resiliecy and why it is important for our children. The book is an invaluable resource for parents because not only does it alert readers of obstacles, but offers guide-posts and solutions to even the most difficult of family situations. One of the book's strongest attributes is its optimistic attitude and coherent style. Through wise eyes the authors strike a chord with parents around the world. I strongly reccomend this book to anyone who has interest in America's youth, and I look forward to Dr Brooks and Dr Goldstein's next project.
Rating:
Summary: Resiliency: A Lesson for All of Us
Review: The new book Raising Resiliant Children should be the first stop on your next trip to the bookstore. Through almost 100 personal antecdotes Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein explain concepts of resiliecy and why it is important for our children. The book is an invaluable resource for parents because not only does it alert readers of obstacles, but offers guide-posts and solutions to even the most difficult of family situations. One of the book's strongest attributes is its optimistic attitude and coherent style. Through wise eyes the authors strike a chord with parents around the world. I strongly reccomend this book to anyone who has interest in America's youth, and I look forward to Dr Brooks and Dr Goldstein's next project.
Rating:
Summary: One of many average parenting books
Review: This book is full of wonderful, practical ideas for supporting children and helping them become more resilient. I appreciate how the authors don't attack parents, but rather present their ideas as case studies based on their years of work with families. The chapters dealing with schools, teachers, and parents should be a reading requirement for everyone before parent-teacher conferences. As you read, you're required to take a hard look at yourself - so this is not a "ten tips to fix my child, I'm already doing things right" kind of book, as shown by this excerpt: "Think of your daily interactions with your children. Place yourself in their shoes. Now ask yourself: If someone responded to me the way I responded to my children, would I walk away from that interaction feeling stronger, would I feel loved, would I be a more resilient person, or would I feel more defeated?" Much of the book focuses on how to make those interactions more positive and I found their examples/case studies really helpful when you're raising challenging children! They "get" how exhausting it can be parenting them...and provide practical tips for improving your relationship with them. This book tackles everything from empathy, to understanding temperaments to nurturing "islands of competence"...and since the case studies include ages of preschoolers through teen years and beyond, it's a book you'll want to keep around to refer to again and again.
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