The Trouble With Perfect : How Parents Can Avoid the Overachievement Trap and Still Raise Successful Children

Rating:
Summary: help for parents
Review: As a mother of four, ranging in ages from 11 to 20, and a teacher, I sometimes think I've seen it all. But, it doesn't mean I know it all. The Trouble with Perfect offers useful advice and more importantly provides the support to parents who want to do the right thing but are often uncertain because of the pressures around us. I particularly liked the chapter "The Entitled, High-Maintenance Child." When we see this child in print we know we don't want it to be our own. The book provides strategies to raise a successful child.

Rating:
Summary: help for parents
Review: As a mother of four, ranging in ages from 11 to 20, and a teacher, I sometimes think I've seen it all. But, it doesn't mean I know it all. The Trouble with Perfect offers useful advice and more importantly provides the support to parents who want to do the right thing but are often uncertain because of the pressures around us. I particularly liked the chapter "The Entitled, High-Maintenance Child." When we see this child in print we know we don't want it to be our own. The book provides strategies to raise a successful child.

Rating:
Summary: Timely and Informative
Review: Finally, a book about child-rearing that makes "perfect" sense. In a world filled with tutors, trainers, advisors and counsellors, and parents who, in the end, only really want the best for their children, The Trouble With Perfect shows the sensible way to guide kids in reaching their potential -- with love,commmon sense and an understanding that the only perfect child is the one completely at ease with imperfections.

Rating:
Summary: What a brilliant book
Review: I just have to say that I've learned more about raising my kids from this one book than all the others I've read over the years! There is a lot of wisdom and sense packed in those pages, and I got to see how my kids are perfect just the way they are. I wish I had this material sooner, is all I have to say. I seriously reccommend it to parents who want their kids to be the best they can be but also want them to grow up enjoying a normal life. Hats off to Dr Guthrie!!

Rating:
Summary: Good Advise
Review: I loved the book! As a parent raising three teenage children in this very competitive world, this book was a dose of reality. Sometimes you find yourself caught up in how things "look" rather than what's right for your children. This book made me take a closer look at my children and what their individual strengths and interests are, and how I can nurture them to become happy and successful adults. I especially liked the Strategies chapter, which offers some hands on tips for situations that are familiar to many parents. The book was an easy read, with a friendly tone and a sense of humor that made you feel good about your children and what you can do to help them in a positive way when you were finished reading it.

Rating:
Summary: The Trouble with Perfect: A required read
Review: I loved the book! Dr. Guthrie makes her very valuable point in a manner that is comfortable for anyone to read. Her chapters Media Life equals Real Life and Moral Bankruptcy alert us to the risks associated with exposure to media culture and violence. As an OB/GYN Nurse Practioner and a mom I wish hospitals would add Dr.Guthrie's book to the list of required items at discharge of infants from the hospital; right along with the car seat--its a must have!

Rating:
Summary: A really refreshing take on parenting today
Review: I've read a lot of books on parenting but I found this one to be especially good. It's not about 'time-outs' and sleep problems and that kind of thing but it really talks about some underlying assumptions we have as parents that we're unconscious of. These assumptions affect lots of decisions we make about how to raise our children. I'm bothered by the pressure on my kids - ages 3, 7 and 12 - that I see all around but I've never knew how to do anything about it or even really how to think about it. This book has helped me formulate what I really think about happiness and success in terms of children - what I really want for them. It's one of the most helpful books I've read recently and I think it's going to make a big difference in how I view these pressures and how I raise my kids.

Rating:
Summary: A really refreshing take on parenting today
Review: I've read a lot of books on parenting but I found this one to be especially good. It's not about 'time-outs' and sleep problems and that kind of thing but it really talks about some underlying assumptions we have as parents that we're unconscious of. These assumptions affect lots of decisions we make about how to raise our children. I'm bothered by the pressure on my kids - ages 3, 7 and 12 - that I see all around but I've never knew how to do anything about it or even really how to think about it. This book has helped me formulate what I really think about happiness and success in terms of children - what I really want for them. It's one of the most helpful books I've read recently and I think it's going to make a big difference in how I view these pressures and how I raise my kids.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for parents
Review: In "The Trouble with Perfect" Dr. Guthrie offers a unique and much needed perspective on raising children in this modern age of competition to always be the best and have the best. Not only is this important book enlightening and refreshing in its content and message to parents, it is enjoyable, easy to read and funny while exploring serious and difficult topics. This book is a "must read" not only for parents, but for all adults who spend time and interact with today's children.

Rating:
Summary: Help for Gifted Parents
Review: Kathy Matthews offers no-nonsense advice with a sense of humor. This how-to-parent-and-feel-good-about-yourself book is a must read. . .and, along with Jim Trelease's book on reading aloud to your children, will certainly become a standard baby shower gift from me in the coming years. Matthews speaks with the authority of a mother comfortable in her own skin--and with her own children. Brava, Ms. Matthews!