Book Review: The Well-Behaved Child by John Rosemond

Rosemond is described as "America's Most Widely Read Parenting Expert" on his latest book's dust jacket and part of the title is "Discipline that REALLY works!" Lately, we've been experiencing some growning pains with ER, as she begins to stretch her limits. So I was hoping for a lot of good information in his book that is described as a parenting workshop in a book.

Synopsis:

The biggest frustration felt by today's parents is in the area of discipline. Family psychologist, best-selling author, and parenting expert John Rosemond uses his thirty-six years of professional experience working with families to develop the quintessential "how to" book for parents. Rosemond's step-by-step program, based on biblical principles, traditional parenting approaches, and common sense, covers a wide range of discipline problems applicable to children from toddler to teen.

Sections include:

• Essential Discipline Principles
• Essential Discipline Tools
• Perplexing Problems and Simple Solutions
• Not Your Everyday Problems
• General Questions and Answers

Filled with real-life examples that anyone who's ever been around children can relate to, this book is sure to be one of the most valuable, helpful resources parents have ever stumbled across.

Okay, it all sounds promising. In the end I had very mixed feeling about Rosemond's theories. The only way I know how to describe them is "old school", with most of the book written in a clinical and textbok manner. I thought he was very critical to anyone who might not agree with him and extremely sarcastic, which I did not really respond to well.

Rosemond supports a very stern, strict, and no nonsense way of things with the parent doing all the directing. Pretty much, it's my way or the highway kiddo. I do think parents should have strong hand in rearing their child, set the standards, and provide corrective feedback. However I also believe that children should be given the opportunity to learn through the natural consequences of their behavior, when appropriate. Furthermore, I think a softer more nuturing approach should be used, I would not feel comfortable doing several of the interventions he suggests.

Disclaimer: I am Thomas Nelson Book Reviewer and received my copy in return for reviewing it. This post relates my own unbiased opinions and experience with it. Yours may differ.