Supernanny (edition 2005)

Decent, sensible and not preachy. ( )

Supernanny: How to Get the Best from Your Children by Jo Frost. Library Section 8 I: Life Skills, Learning K-12. Jo Frost, aka Supernanny, has been a children’s nanny for over 15 years. You may be familiar with her TV show, in which she visits homes where kids are out of control. We watch her family intervention – first she observes and videotapes family interactions, then teaches parents how to regain control of their family’s daily life. I don’t know if she has a degree in child psychology, but she sure knows how kids think and react. She also knows how parents need to act in order to get their kids to act properly.
The first section of this book is called Basic Techniques in which she reviews the stages common to children at different ages. She discusses the importance of rules and routines. Kids thrive on daily routines and rules – they CRAVE BOUNDARIES because boundaries and rules make them feel safe and secure. Without rules or boundaries, they constantly “push the envelope,” trying desperately to find out what, if any, the boundaries are. We’d call these kids “naughty” when in reality, they are only looking for parental guidance. Parents who do not set boundaries end up with out of control kids. And though they may resist time-outs or other punitive measures, they are actually more secure and calm once rules and routines are established and followed. Consistent follow-through is critically important.
The second section of the book is called Troubleshooting in which she identifies the most common problems of child-rearing, and how to solve them: dressing, toilet training, eating, social skills, bedtime routines, and quality time.
The rear cover lists strategies she covers in the book: preventing fussy eaters from taking over mealtime, resolving your child’s sleep problems, avoiding sibling rivalry, talking so your children will listen, how to enjoy parenting without feeling like it’s a chore, establishing a household routine that works, bridging the gap between you and your children, and how to get the most from your children and yourself. If any of these problems sound familiar, you can read this book to implement new strategies to get your family routine established and to get your kids to calm down. Of course, corporal punishment has no place in successful parenting.
One thing to realize is that as you implement new strategies your kids will get worse-behaved before they get better. This is because they will test those new limits to see just how troublesome they have to be before you cave to their demands. If you have caved in the past you can expect a higher level of misbehavior for a short while until your kids realize you mean business and will not cave. Caving in will destroy all you are working toward, so it is important to be firm with your new rules. You must decide who really runs your family – you or your kids. Parenting is not for wimps.
The last section of the book is Useful Contacts, which lists websites for expectant parents and parents of young children. Wow, so much information at your fingertips – something that was totally unavailable to me and my husband when our kids were small. All we had to rely on was Dr. Spock, good but limited information. There is no reason to be a poor parent with all this information at hand. ( )

Nice book to dip into every now and again if you feel in need of a pep talk.

Great theories, but not a lot of help on how to follow. Every single chapter has the same top ten list of how to get the best from your child...Didn't get as specific as I see her get on her show. ( )

It’s easy to read, with pictures, big type size and a truly useful set of sections on typical problem areas like eating, playing with others, and bedtime. It is basic, and perhaps more focused on parent guidance than on child nurturing. But I am taking away a few pieces of advice, so it was time well spent. ( )