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Rating: 
Summary: NO JOKE
Review: Even forgiving the tasteless attempts at humor in Ralph Schoenstein's My Kid's an Honor Student, Your Kid's a Loser (previously titled, Toilet Trained for Yale), its sloppy research and outright disinformation should be reason enough for serious readers to steer clear. While the author may rightly gripe about the banality of American competitiveness, his attempts to denigrate legitimate scientific advances are worse than misguided.Because children in the United States score lowest among their international peers--yet perversely feel best about themselves--perhaps the imminent challenges of runaway population and information demand novel answers, crisis as motivitation behind discovery. This is precisely why neurogenetics, fetal brain development, has become the most grounded contender for upgrading human performance . . . yet a discipline Ralph Schoenstein--apparently content with normal behavior and its horrific headlines--mocks while is unwilling to credibly investigate. He either deliberately ignores or from narrowness misses the growing body of hard evidence in academic journals, amply relayed by the mainstream media, that appropriate prenatal enrichment produces consistently profound as well as durable cognitive, social, and creative advantages--already endowing with promise over 100,000 children worldwide, from every economic background. Within a few pages the author manages to presume the womb quiet (maternal blood constantly rushes past the placenta at 95 decibels), reference outdated technology, misunderstand safety controls, never mention the results of independent clinical trials, and mistakes Prenatal Institute--a research facility I have directed since 1982--for a school; one would expect from any competent reporter a single email, fax, phonecall, or letter to this long-accessible resource, for simply checking facts. In striving after lame wit, he lamentably fails the mirror test. Expectant parents merit far better; they may wish to examine my book, Learning Before Birth: Every Child Deserves Giftedness, or review www.babyplus.com, where scholarly validations of what may now be our paramount approach to education are posted. In his wholly unfounded diatribe's biographical note, Ralph Schoenstein from Princeton boasts "no connection to the university"; that lack is blatant--along with an unfortunate absence of toilet training.
Rating: 
Summary: Toilet Trained Tots - How True!
Review: I don't have any children of my own but was drawn to this book based upon my own encounters with the increasing number of "Toilet Trained for Yale" tots and their stop-at-nothing push-parents. The author delivers an insightful, biting commentary on this parenting trend, that in the effort to produce the brightest and best baby, these parents will do and try almost anything! "Parents are not raising a child. They are raising a living resume." Through laugh out loud passages, the author takes us a step back to look at the hilarity and obsurdity of the ever prominent baby and me classes, music for the womb cd's, and all other gimicks that are touted to insecure, compensating, over-achieving parents. A funny, quick read. However, based on the content and length, I would reccommend waiting for the paperback!
Rating:
Summary: Toilet Trained Tots - How True!
Review: I don't have any children of my own but was drawn to this book based upon my own encounters with the increasing number of "Toilet Trained for Yale" tots and their stop-at-nothing push-parents. The author delivers an insightful, biting commentary on this parenting trend, that in the effort to produce the brightest and best baby, these parents will do and try almost anything! "Parents are not raising a child. They are raising a living resume." Through laugh out loud passages, the author takes us a step back to look at the hilarity and obsurdity of the ever prominent baby and me classes, music for the womb cd's, and all other gimicks that are touted to insecure, compensating, over-achieving parents. A funny, quick read. However, based on the content and length, I would reccommend waiting for the paperback!
Rating: 
Summary: Grounded again
Review: I was given this book as a gift from my in-laws. I can't thank them enough. It's very hard to look around at other kids whose parents are taking them to gymnastics class, 2nd language class, music class, scheduled play class, etc. and not feel like you are deficient as a parent if you're not doing the same. I easily fall into the trap of panicking that my daughter, who is 18 months old, isn't being exposed to enough, or talking enough, or climbing well enough. This book really helps me keep my feet on the ground and remember that Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't have the benefit of "language flashcards" at 12 months and she turned out just fine. Oh, and the "reading" 6 month olds...give me a break!
Rating:
Summary: Grounded again
Review: I was given this book as a gift from my in-laws. I can't thank them enough. It's very hard to look around at other kids whose parents are taking them to gymnastics class, 2nd language class, music class, scheduled play class, etc. and not feel like you are deficient as a parent if you're not doing the same. I easily fall into the trap of panicking that my daughter, who is 18 months old, isn't being exposed to enough, or talking enough, or climbing well enough. This book really helps me keep my feet on the ground and remember that Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't have the benefit of "language flashcards" at 12 months and she turned out just fine. Oh, and the "reading" 6 month olds...give me a break!
Rating:
Summary: Ralph Schoenstein's Toilet Trained for Yale
Review: If for some reason you have been living on Mars and haven't discovered the extraordinairly funny (and very serious)Ralph Schoenstein in the sixteen books he's published, then you have truly missed out. In Toilet Trained for Yale, Schoenstein tackles one of today's genuine social absurdities with stomach grabbing, down-on-your-knees wit (and bite): "push parenting," or how to get your kid into the best grammar school to be assured of a spot in an Ivy League college. These tactics include in the Chapter, Fetal Academy: "Parents interested in prenatal communicatins have taught their prenates to respond to voices when the baby kicks...The promise of this experiment is so intoxicating that it makes one think: One small kick for mankind, one giant kick for man." In this short statement it is difficult to capture Schoenstein's unique humor. So, I can only quote what Jimmy Breslin said on the jacket of the book, which sums up my feelings:"Ralph Schoenstein writes these marvelous smiling pages, with each one prompting glee from the reader. And then you happen to notice that underneath all the laughs are these ferocious teeth. You notice because the teeth bite through the laughter. I don't know anybody except Schoenstein who can do this. It is the writer's art at its gaudiest."
Rating:
Summary: Mom, Dad...read this!!!!
Review: If my parents had read this maybe I wouldn't have all these ISSUES! But wait...that's right, "Toilet trained" was just published. Maybe the next generation can be saved from all the pressure our parents "pushed" on us if they read this book. It's funny and fun, but serious stuff, too. Schoenstein knows a whole lot more about what a kid would like in his/her childhood than most parents do. A quick read, that makes one smile, laugh, cringe, even despair -- but worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Today's moms need to read this!
Review: Ralph Schoenstein has done a fantastic job of taking my generation's tendency to push-parent and showing us all just how ridiculous we are for doing it. Every Mom who has played Mozart for her baby while still in utero, or grilled her pre-schooler on the differences between white and ecru needs to read this book. From now on, I'm giving copies of this book as baby shower gifts -- to save the next generation of babies from push-parenting!
Rating:
Summary: "Push Parenting" -- learn to relax!
Review: Schoenstein is masterful! This book should be required reading for wannabe parents and current parents -- it is a humorous, yet serious, look at 21st century parenting techniques. Schoenstein, who ghosted Bill Cosby's "Fatherhood," seems to know more about what's needed for a happy, "play-filled" childhood than all the experts combined! A great gift idea for expectant parents or parents who need to relax and just let their kid have a childhood!!!
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