Angry Kids, Frustrated Parents: Practical Ways to Prevent and Reduce Aggression in Your Children

Rating:
Summary: Good basic parenting book
Review: This is a readable, practical book with sound advice. The first section on aggression is excellent, highlighting the difference between what is normal (feelings and behavior) and what is a red flag. The next section, "What Parents Can Do," is wide-ranging. The third section explicitly describes models for helping kids handle anger and frustration. The final section addresses the overall context of building strong parent/child relationships. Throughout, case examples apply the authors' theory in a realistic and meaningful way. As the parent of a child with some serious behavior problems, my guess is that the teaching strategies described in the 3rd section are most effective with "average" or "normal" kids. The strategy for "crisis teaching" is to tell the kid who is acting out to stop the behavior, while clearly stating what the objectionable behavior is, and then give instructions about what s/he is to do to calm down. A firm, calm voice and a reasonable request may not be disuade a child who is truly out of control or seriously oppositional. Still, I think the techniques would be useful in many more ordinary conflict situations. I recommend this book, particularly for new parents.