Rating: 
Summary: Faulty Assumptions
Review: While Dr. Laura does have some good thoughts in her book i.e. discipline in the home, spending time with our children, she also makes very faulty assumptions throughout the book. Especially in her section on childcare, she makes these very broad assumtpions. The reader is led to believe that all children in day care are raised by the day care. What if a child stays in daycare ten hours a week? Does that mean they are being raised there? What about a child that is there only 20 hours a week? Surely a child is not raised in that time. I find Dr. Laura's tone to be very offensive and her black and white assumptions to be ones that are hurtful and inaccurate.
Rating: 
Summary: A good overview but the original material is much better
Review: Although I agree with Dr. Laura in her position on parenthood, I thought the book was weakly written. I have been reading a lot of the source material for her book, books such as "The Assault on Parenthood" by Dana Mack, "Domestic Tranquility" by F. Carolyn Graglia, etc. and they not only provide in-depth analysis but are much better written books. This book serves as a good introduction to the subject of current family issues and indentifies the leading commentators on the subject. The book is a quick read, but do yourself a favor and seek out the original texts that she quotes in her book. It will be well worth the effort.
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Summary: A challenge to put the children first...
Review: This book will hopefully make many people re-assess their motives for having children. I found some of the case histories heart-wrenching. Anyone who is not moved by what Dr. Laura writes has no heart for children. She may be a bit brash at times, but her message is needed and long-overdue.
Rating:
Summary: A Punch in the Gut
Review: I don't have kids -- though I would like to someday. However, I teach the kids that Dr. Laura describes in this book on a daily basis, and her assessment/analysis seems to be right on target. As adults, we are too busy attempting to be friends with children to set limits on behavior. Dr. Laura doesn't mince words and she doesn't pull punches. Be prepared to feel nauseated as you read her thoughts on how children are raised (or rather not raised today) because you will begin to recognize that the behaviors we see in the workplace from younger employees and the behaviors in schools are actually a direct result of how children are raised.Dr. Laura has made me even more grateful for the strictness of my parents (guess who will be getting some _really_ nice Mother's and Father's day gifts this year).
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Summary: Great source of info 4 all - Parenting or not yet Parenting
Review: I am a new listener to the Dr. Laura show and have found the show and her very intriguing. I heard the promotion for this book during her show and found myself purchasing it that evening with much enthusiasm. I am a stay at home mother like many others I have found out that listen to her show. It has been a great source of information even when I don't agree with her. My husband and I raise two boys in there teens and I figured reading the book my put some incite into our lives on the best ways to attack certain issuse. The book has already shead light on some of those issues for me. I recommed it highly to those who already have children or are in the process of thinking about having children.
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Summary: If you ignore this book, tie your tubes!
Review: As an expectant father who has altered his work- and lifestyles to accomodate the pending bundle of joy, I can't agree enough with Dr. Laura. This is not emotionalism or political ranting, but parenting really is the most important thing we're ever gonna do. I've worked with abused and neglected children for 12 years and have seen the ravaging effects of bad or neglectful parenting, and I'm not just talking about "bad" or "poor" people, but the children of yuppies, politicians, and clergy. And the price of society turning a blind eye is more crime, social chaos, and the chipping away of Western Civilization as we know it. If you know someone who seems to you too selfish to reproduce, please pass this book on to them.
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Summary: don't have them if YOU won't raise them
Review: "If you were going to wake up tomorrow morning as aninfant, would you choose to be raised by ........." That is something husbands and wives should think about before making a baby. If you are thinking about starting a family you should give this book a read. It gives parents and future parents some food for thought. It was something that my husband and I did not think about till after our baby. But once we had him there was no way I was going to hand him over to another person to raise (not even my own mother). This was our flesh and blood, and we knew no one would love him and talk to him like us. Therefore I am now my kids mom and I have a husband who was manly enough to step up to the plate for our family. My child will never have to question his importance to us. Thank you Dr. Laura for your relentless pursuit in bettering the parenting in our country. Thank you writing this book to promote family values!
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Laura's Books
Review: Dr. Laura Schlessinger is only controversial to those folks who don't want to live within the boundaries imposed by traditional moral values. If anyone would bother to listen to her or read her books, they'd find that, rather than being a bigot, she is instead a fairly compassionate woman, when those she's dealing with truly are trying to become better people and live within the context of traditional morals and family values. She is tough, yes, but invariably the people she's tough with DESERVE it in one way or another--listen to her radio program yourself as proof of this. Regarding the current raging controversy surrounding Dr. Laura, that she is bigoted towards homosexuals--I have NEVER heard her say a bad word about homosexuals themselves during the many hours I've listened to her show--the only thing she has said is that she believes that homosexual BEHAVIOR is immoral. The woman is VERY consistent with the message she gives, and no one can listen to her show without coming to understand that her biggest priority is to first and foremost protect the innocent--and that usually means the children. I would encourage those who are calling her a bigot or listening to others who are calling her that, to read her books, listen to her shows, and then decide for themselves. To just decide not to read something or have it in your house because you've heard that other people think the author is one thing or another is ridiculous--you're letting others make your decisions for you without even knowing firsthand what the facts are. Do the research yourself and decide for yourself--then, if you think she's a bigot, at least you're speaking from a position of having done the legwork yourself, and not just relying on what other people think.
Rating: 
Summary: A Call to Be Thoughtful About Parenting Issues
Review: Dr. Schlessinger writes about the responsibilities of parenting much as she conducts her national radio talk show...pulling no punches with strong opinions. She discusses the issues involved in people having children, only to turn around and find others to take care of those children, either in infancy, before and after school, or both. She argues that there are really very few legitimate excuses for failing to parent your own children and asserts many reasons why failing to do so is highly detrimental to children. In this regard, she cites published studies, newspaper articles, books, and her own experiences during her 25 years as a talk show host, to support her positions. On the whole, I found her arguments to be mostly persuasive. Although this book could certainly never be used as a cite authority for serious academic discussion of the ramifications of raising children "by proxy," Dr. Schlessinger makes a great number of thought-provoking points in discussing the issues, which range from the failure of our society to value the contributions of fathers, to why the United States should emulate the laws of Italy and other countries in limiting the number of implanted fertilized ova in infertile women to 2-3 (the number of fetuses that, if all were viable, could reasonably be expected to survive birth). I found the book an interesting and thought-provoking discussion of the issues of our country's loss of the traditional family unit and its effects on the welfare of children. It made me think carefully about the choices that my husband and I make as parents, and why and how those choices effect my young daughters. I would definitely recommend it to anyone considering parenthood, people who are parents already, who wish to earnestly contemplate the parenting choices they are making, and whether they could be doing a better job, or people who work in fields which wholly or partially relate to child welfare in all its aspects.
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Summary: Finally a voice for stay at home Mom's to listen to!
Review: I am a stay at home Mom who listens to Dr. Laura regularly. It is so refreshing to hear someone who supports staying home and raising your children yourself! A big house and lots of "things" in no way make up for the lack of parental time and attention many children are forced to face everyday because of the self serving decisions of thier parents. This book was great! Go Dr. Laura!
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