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Rating: 
Summary: An Impressionistic Set of Anecdotes
Review: After I read this book, I did not feel that I knew how good parents raised great kids. The authors state that their book "...relies only on genuine, unbiased evidence gleaned from eighteen months of interviews with 'true experts'--the parents of extremely well-adjusted, well-rounded, happy children" (p.1). They say further, "[t]hough we had the background, experience, and credentials to initiate a scientific study, we chose to take a journalistic approach..." (p.319) "[W]e did not attempt to have a scientifically random sample that was statistically significant." (Id.) This book ends up being a report of the authors' impressions of common themes they heard from the parents of children of whom school administrators and counselors thought very highly. If one wanted to know how good parents raise great kids, one would, I believe, define what a "great kid" is, and investigate a statistically random sample of children to try to determine what parental behaviors are correlated with a kid's being a "great kid," to a statistically significant degree. The book's subtitle "The Six Essential Habits of Highly Successful Parents" echoes Steven Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which is not a statistical study either, but which has a deep general logic to it, which these "habits" do not. Those seven habits are a structure of life leadership that have general applicability. Contrast them with the habits in this book- one of them is "Communicate." A parent is also quoted in the book "Parenting is much more like a baking a cake than a delicate souffle. You put in all the right ingredients, throw it in the oven and forget about it for a while." Reading those two side-by-side, I'm not clear as to how hard to press to communicate when. Instead of this book, read The Nurture Assumption by Judith Rich Harris. It will tell you what is known and not known about the effect of parenting on the personalities of children.
Rating:
Summary: Not so sure about this one
Review: I first I thought this book was a great concept, but I agree with some of the other reviewers that the criteria for what makes a "great kid" needed to be more clearly defined. The author cited popularity with peers as one indicator, which makes me wonder: Are we looking to raise likeable class clowns, or are we striving to raise decent, good-hearted human beings with minds of their own? Also, some of the parents' comments were very random. And when the topic of spanking came up, well, that's when I got really annoyed. The book does not present two arguments for spanking -- it actually advocates the practice, under the right circumstances. Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Rating:
Summary: Not so sure about this one
Review: I first I thought this book was a great concept, but I agree with some of the other reviewers that the criteria for what makes a "great kid" needed to be more clearly defined. The author cited popularity with peers as one indicator, which makes me wonder: Are we looking to raise likeable class clowns, or are we striving to raise decent, good-hearted human beings with minds of their own? Also, some of the parents' comments were very random. And when the topic of spanking came up, well, that's when I got really annoyed. The book does not present two arguments for spanking -- it actually advocates the practice, under the right circumstances. Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive, Insightful & Indispensable
Review: I purchased this book after attending an impressive live presentation by author Robert Davidson. As an attorney with a busy family law practice and, most importantly, as a parent, I found it to be indispensable. The techniques Mr. Davidson suggested really did work for me in the real world of parenting. I found the book to be a tremendous help in developing an overall parenting "strategy" as well as to find the best and most effective solutions to everyday problems. The book is an enjoyable read - it moves more like a well-paced novel - and focuses on mutual respect between parent and child. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive, Insightful & Indispensable
Review: I purchased this book after attending an impressive live presentation by author Robert Davidson. As an attorney with a busy family law practice and, most importantly, as a parent, I found it to be indispensable. The techniques Mr. Davidson suggested really did work for me in the real world of parenting. I found the book to be a tremendous help in developing an overall parenting "strategy" as well as to find the best and most effective solutions to everyday problems. The book is an enjoyable read - it moves more like a well-paced novel - and focuses on mutual respect between parent and child. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: the most helpful parenting book I've seen
Review: Outstanding and highly readable. The anecdotes are the best part and bring you right into the homes of these parents. Extremely interesting and terrific tips
Rating: 
Summary: The Best of a Bad Lot
Review: The authors say that they went to high school guidance counselors to ask them who the best kids they knew were and then interviewed the parents to determine how they raised their kids. They claim to found out what these parents did to make the children successful. To interview people who have successfully done a thing as the basis for an advice book is a better basis than the great majority of advice books have. This is why I give it four stars. I am uneasy about this book, though. Did the parents give consistent advice? The author's note about this book on this page appears to say "no." The title talks about six "essential" habits of good parents, which would appear to indicate "yes." I got the impression that the authors were concerned that the book seemed too conservative. I would have felt much more confident about the advice in the book if the authors had presented their views straightforwardly, instead of being concerned that their "words would be twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools." The books purports to distinguish between the good parents and the less successful parents, but I didn't notice any interviewing of less successful parents. The authors say that although they "had the background, experience and credentials to inititate a scientific study, * * * [they] chose to take a journalistic approach." This is not a scientific study. There was no control group. The sample of interviewees was approximately 130. This was not a double-blind study. The interview questionaire was revised during the course of the study. The next book I read after I read this book was Judith Rich Harris's The Nurture Assumption. It leads me to think that there are no data to support the assertions of this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of a Bad Lot
Review: The authors say that they went to high school guidance counselors to ask them who the best kids they knew were and then interviewed the parents to determine how they raised their kids. They claim to found out what these parents did to make the children successful. To interview people who have successfully done a thing as the basis for an advice book is a better basis than the great majority of advice books have. This is why I give it four stars. I am uneasy about this book, though. Did the parents give consistent advice? The author's note about this book on this page appears to say "no." The title talks about six "essential" habits of good parents, which would appear to indicate "yes." I got the impression that the authors were concerned that the book seemed too conservative. I would have felt much more confident about the advice in the book if the authors had presented their views straightforwardly, instead of being concerned that their "words would be twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools." The books purports to distinguish between the good parents and the less successful parents, but I didn't notice any interviewing of less successful parents. The authors say that although they "had the background, experience and credentials to inititate a scientific study, * * * [they] chose to take a journalistic approach." This is not a scientific study. There was no control group. The sample of interviewees was approximately 130. This was not a double-blind study. The interview questionaire was revised during the course of the study. The next book I read after I read this book was Judith Rich Harris's The Nurture Assumption. It leads me to think that there are no data to support the assertions of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Lessons from some families in America--by the true experts.
Review: This is really a business book. Rather than just another "Dr. Davidson's Guide to Raising Kids or Corn" we bring the real-life experiences of families who produced remarkable children. We orginally wanted to call the book "Super Kids" but in reality, any parent can dramatically improve the liklihood of bringing successful kids into society by just following the guidance of people who have done it well in the past. There really are no "rules" for rearing children. Every parent needs to find the right combination of parenting skills--and they are probably different for several different kids in the family. Like Ken Blanchard's Situational Management series, my brother and I wanted people to understand the concept of equifinality in raising children (or running a business for that matter). There is no one "best" way to do it. But rather, use a mix and match approach. Read, talk to others, get help from professionals and most importantly just keep the lines of communication open with the child. This will be the most important and complex relationship of your life--it begins nine months before your child is born and continues until he or she dies. Take the parenting process seriously but have fun with kids. Good luck on your journey.
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