The authors explains the 7 worst things parents do:
Baby Your Child
Put Your Marriage Last
Push Your Child INto Too Many Activities
Ignore Your Emotional or Spiritual Life
Be Your Child's Best Friend
Fail to give Your Child Structure
Expect Your Child to Fulfil Your Dreams

I rated it 4 stars because I felt that the topics weren't throughly discussed on how we can avoid falling in one of the 7 traps.

Although I don't agree with everything they say, I think the Friels' recommendations are generally sensible and well-thought-out, and I like their "we don't know everything, so do what works for you" attitude. On the other hand, the book is being marketed as a return to Traditional Values in Parenting, a corrective to an overly permissive era of child psychology run amok, and that's just flat-out not true. I was raised in the 1950's, which conservatives hark back to as the Golden Age of American Values. My parents made four of the seven mistakes listed in this book: they put their marriage last, they pushed their children into too many activities, and they expected their children to fulfill all their unfulfilled dreams and ambitions. And, while they didn't "baby" us in the sense of indulging infantile behavior, they did resist every effort we made to grow up and become autonomous. While I think the Friels are doing a great service to parents by addressing these issues, they're mistakes that arise out of common parental mind-sets, rather than being aberrations of child psychology in the second half of the 20th century.

Part 1: Get Ready
Chapter 1: The Seven Worst Things Parents Do
Chapter 2: The Rules of the Game

Part 2: The Seven
Chapter 3: Baby Your Child
Chapter 4: Put Your Marriage Last
Chapter 5 Push Your Child into Too Many Activities
Chapter 6: Ignore Your Emotional or Spiritual Life
Chapter 7: Be Your Child's Best Friend
Chapter 8: Fail to Give Your Child Structure
Chapter 9: Expect Your Child to Fulfil Your Dreams

Part III: Go For It
Chapter 10: If Rats Can Do It, So Can You
Chapter 11: The Best Things About Parents Who Choose to Grow: A Typical Success Story
Chapter 12: Some Final Parenting Thoughts

In this book, I agreed much of what the authors wrote about how to avoid the 7 mistakes. There was a few tips of advice that I disagreed with such as putting your child to bed at the same time everynight with NO exceptions such as watching fireworks.

As a woman and a rock climber, I looked forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, it is so poorly written, much is left to be desired. The majority of the book skims over events that deserved more attention (i.e. Hill's involvement in European climbing competition) while using her love life as filler. I still respect Hill greatly and was awed by the color photos of her climbing, but a good editor and more introspective on Hill the climber and not Hill the dating machine would have done this book wonders.

I just finished reading the book early this morning. I picked it up because I used to do very mild climbing (5.7 range). I'm sure I don't even SEE the holds Lynn works with. In brief, she seems to do the best of climbs in the best of style.

In the book, she makes her climbing preferences known without trying to define "the way, the truth and the light" for all climbers. I think the same held true for her descriptions of people with whom she had climbed. What I most appreciated was her love for climbing without any need for being "extreme." No death wish, no search for a new adrenaline rush. Lynn seems to seek challenge but not danger per se. The non-climbing public seems to think that all climbers enjoy flirting with death. Lynn is not naive about the potential of danger; in fact, her words show a great understanding. Again, she just wants to climb the hard routes because they are hard. The danger is simply an issue to be dealt with, not an end in itself.

I was just a touch dissatisfied at the end. The final pages seemed to end rather abruptly. However, given that this book is not a work of fiction, but rather a description of a developing life, maybe that's as it should be. Lynn is still climbing, still changing. There are more chapters to be written.

As we travel through life the people we meet and the experiences we share are every bit as important as the mountains we climb. Lynn Hill has expressed this philosophy quite well in Climbing Free: My Life in the Vertical World.

Lynn's story is a life adventure, not just a dangling from rocks, but an embrace of people and places, a reflection of her experiences, the rock wall challenges she has met and over come as well as the romances which have blessed and graced her life along the way.

I did not read Climbing Free to learn how to climb, to seek advice on free style climbing or even to learn about some of the best, most exotic places to climb. Nor did I read Climbing Free to glimpse what it is like to hang from a towering granite pillar, a crack and a cranny, a slip and a slide away from death. I read Climbing Free simply for the enjoyment of sharing another person's life adventure.

I think if Climbing Free is read in this light it is a joyous experience, one which will add to the reader's own life, for after all, we are the summation of all our experiences, those we have in the real world as well as those we relish from the books we read or movies we watch. Climbing Free is just that, a climbing free experience for the reader. But to enjoy it fully you have to enter without preconception or expectation, and just delight in sharing Lynn Hill's tale.

Of course in writing this review and giving Lynn Hill's book a five star rating I must admit I'm a bit prejudice. Although I haven't ever met Lynn, she just had a child, Owen Merced Lynch, fathered by Bradley Wayne Lynch, my dear nephew and a pretty good rock climber himself. I'm sure if Lynn writes a sequel to Climbing Free its adventures will include Bran and Owen. For you see, Climbing Free just isn't about dangling from rocks. It's about life and the people we meet along the way through life. It isn't perfect. It isn't without mistakes or wrong turns. It is a mix of exhilaration and tragedy, of wonder and the finding of one's self through the journeys Lynn has taken with her freinds upon granite walls and spires around the globe. It's about finding your way and moving on until low and behold you find yourself by the Merced River at the foot of Half Dome conceiving a child!

The problem, I think, with some people who have read and reviewed Climbing Free is that they were looking themselves for love and didn't find it, thus reflecting the bitterness in their own failures. Or they suffered a few falls themselves with sharp knocks to the skull; or maybe damaged their brains smoking this or that peculiar mix of substances while in an oxygen starved environment at over 14,000 feet high! In fact, I suspect this to be true as I've sat among climbers and listened to their lore. Much of it is petered out muse not worth the lead fillings in an old nag's teeth.

In contrast Climbing Free is a masterpiece in the making, the start of a canvas, the first few brush strokes of a woman's adventure through life. Quite frankly I can't wait to see what will follow, especially when Lynn and Brad get little Owen to Yosemite!

This is such a fabulous book. I have four children (ages 3-9) and I have found more valuable information, guidance, and great ideas in this book than in all the other education related books I have read -- combined. I particularly liked the grade specific study topics (core curriculum), reading lists, helpful tips to improve reading and other ways to help your child succeed in school, questions to ask the teacher, info. on gifted and special needs children, and kindergarten readiness list. Even though I consider myself somewhat experienced in the first three to four years of school (due to the volume of children I have), I found that this book provided me with new insight and reinforced my desire to help my children develop a love for learning. I know I will use this as a reference for many years to come. My only regret is that I did not have this book when my oldest child started preschool! Well worth the price!

As a member of a public school board of education, one thing I look for is parental involvement. I like to see large crowds at school board meetings. This book is a valuable guide for parents of children up to 8th grade. Bennett stresses parental involvement. Parents should get to know their childrens' teachers and inquire about the content of the curriculum. Much of the book sets forth what children should learn in each subject area in each grade level. I found the chapter on social studies particularly interesting because that is the subject area where "multiculturalism" and revisionism can most water down the curriculum. Clearly, we should not white wash warts in our past, but we should teach history in a positive manner, while recognizing that no culture, including ours, has a perfect past. We should teach our commonality as citizens without over empahsizing our differences. Parents should know what is being taught in schools and, where children are not being taught what children should know, the parents should be active in correcting the matter.

Bennett points out that the home, as well as the school, should be a center of learning. He gives examples of activities that parents can do with children to increase their learning. He also discusses dealing with difficulties that may arise in schools, such as disciplinary problems, etc. This book also discusses innovative and controversial issues such as charter schools, home schooling, how religion should be addressed in our schools, etc. I highly recommend this book and hope that it will spur parents on to close involvemet with their children's education.

From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly Former U.S. Secretary of Education Bennett (The Book of Virtues) and his colleagues (Finn, author of We Must Take Charge; Cribb, formerly of the U.S. Department of Education) offer American parents an impassioned and straight-shooting reference for educating their children. In prose free of academic rhetoric, the authors state: "[I]f your school is inflicting a mediocre education on your child, the sooner you know about it the better." They then present a "yardstick" by which to judge the academic quality of any school (public or private). A model core curriculum organized by grade level--primary (K-3), intermediate (4-6), and junior high (7 and 8)--presents the material clearly and logically, and helps readers assess whether a child is getting a thorough dose of English, history and geography, the arts, math and science. While blunt in their criticism of decaying academic standards (evident in grade inflation, lowered expectations for students and terrible international rankings), the authors are unequivocal in their support of dedicated educators and all those willing to hold children to the highest possible standard. Parents may question some of the model curriculum's expectations (e.g., that second graders dramatize the death of Socrates), but the authors are quick to reassure readers that the book's purpose is not to serve as a list of must-haves but rather as "inspiration and general guidance" in gaining a sense of "the knowledge and skills that should lie at the heart of a solid elementary education." Bennett is a controversial figure because of his passionate cultural conservatism. But this book, despite a brief word in favor of school vouchers, is about padagogy, not politics. It's an ambitious and commonsensical guide that will inspire both parents and educators. 100,000 first printing; 25-city radio satellite tour. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

This book was easy to read and I thought it contained some very good advice. I did not always agree with John Rosemond but I still enjoyed the book and will reference it many times in the future, I'm sure. It has good advice about consistent discipline and reassures parents that it is okay for children to dislike your decisions at times. A parent who never makes decisions his or her children don't like is not doing his job correctly. I also enjoyed the advice about toys (no, it isn't necessary to buy a child every new toy that hits the shelf) and limiting television viewing (yes, too much is unhealthy).

Mr. Rosemond doesn't say anything incredibly new or earth shattering. He brings back old ideas that people did naturally before the "new science of parenting." It seems like the more parents I listen too, I hear extremes on raising children. Mr. Rosemond reminds us that there is a middle ground. My daughter is only 2 and we have used this middle ground full of common sense and have had fantastic results with our little girl. If your a parent and feel overwhelmed by all the advice floating around out there about parenting, I would highly suggest you read this book. It will bring you back down to earth and give you some middle ground. He takes logical and intelligent approaches to self-esteem, spanking, television, chores and allowance to name a few. It's quick read, like hearing old wisdom from a generation before us. Highly recommended!

I have read several of Rosemond's books on parenting, and this remains my favorite. I have followed his advice in eliminating tv from my kids' lives and have never regretted it. Both are excellent readers with long attention spans and vivid imaginations. Rosemond's advice on putting one's marriage before the children may seem harsh, but it is really GOOD for children to know that they don't run the show. Kids are happier, better adjusted, and less spoiled this way. His views on toys, chores, and discipline have also greatly influenced me. I strongly recommend this book.

This is Montessori's last book, and the most in-depth discussion of her theory based on decades of scientific observation of children. It discusses the special mind of the child, and how nurturing the special potentialities that only children have is the only way to change (and save) humanity. Montessori's theories are particularly interesting today in light of recent neurological discoveries, especially those related to critical periods and language.

This is a very dense book, and requires a good deal of concentration and time to read. I would recommmend The Child in the Family as the first book for one wanting an overview of Montessori ideas.

I first read The Absorbant Mind" in 1969, It changed the way I raised my children, how I valued their "work" of being children, and how I now work with the mentally ill. I find myself often reviewing the concept that all people really do the best they can, and that using her respect of others, and her method,of going from concrete to abstract concepts is a useful baseline. Dr. Montessori never wasted words in this book, I had to concentrate on each sentance, or I'd miss something. I thank my sister, a Montessori teacher, for introducing it to me, she is Joanna Taylor, who taught for 3o years in SLC.

This book is wonderful for the people who are going into the field of montessori education, actually it is on the required list of any teacher training program, and in there lays the misunderstanding. One must read this book to understand Dr. Montessori's philosophy of education, not to implement it in your home. there are parent-friendly montessori books that are watered down and written with the intention of being an introduction, not an indepth study of montessori's essence and history. As for the interviewer who bought the school, I wish he'd name it so I can avoid it because he sadly only grabbed the shell and lost the spirit of the method.

The basic premise of this book is that you should create a stimulating environment in which your child will enjoy learning. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Well, I thought so. I was very excited to read this book. As it turns out, I've never been so disappointed in a book. Since the title is "How to Raise a Brighter Child" I had expected that it would be a "how to" book. The author does give a handful of examples of activities and games to engage in with your child. However, in most of the book she simply regurgitates other people's experimentation and data attempting to prove that it is advantageous to teach your child at a young age. Well, I wouldn't have bought this book if I didn't believe that! I don't think the author had a single unique idea of her own. The 38 pages of references and bibliography speaks for itself! I did read the entire book while continually hoping that it would get better, which it did not. Save yourself the cost of this book. As I said, the basic premise is wonderful. Take that and use your own imagination to make it work. You'll be much better served!

Many of the ideas expressed in this book ring true regarding children's learning process. However, be wary of such subtleties as suggesting as fact to your child that this world or things in it have been around for myriads of years. That is not fact, but theory, no matter how widely accepted. The book also advises against corporal discipline, with insignificant substantiation and a single footnoted reference. In place of the wisdom of Solomon, this book suggests mere time outs and moral explications, but relegates the chastening of tough love to archaic obscurity, despite admitting its use by 90% of parents. Perhaps some children of the remaining 10% will become the future intelligent leaders of tomorrow, of companies like Enron and Worldcom.

28 years ago, when I used ideas from the first edition of this book to teach my daughter to read, mainstream educators thought it was harmful to "push" a child to read before age 6. Her own reactions of interest and delight in the suggested activities told me otherwise. She was reading Dr. Suess by age 3 and chapter books without pictures by 4 1/2. Her Montessori teachers were totally amazed. Of course, I kept reading to her myself until she was 8 or so, because we both enjoyed that activity. Today she is an avid reader and the mother of a 10 month old daughter. She recently asked me how I taught her to read, and I remembered this book and came looking for it here. Now I remember that it had many, many other good suggestions for encouraging a child's natural curiousity. It was, by far, the best child development book I've ever read.

As John Rosemond makes clear, the secret to raising a healthy, happy two-year-old starts long before the child's second birthday. Fortunately, we found the common sense and heart-felt humor in his advice to be a sanity check for most of what we'd already thought was right. Anyone with questions will undoubtedly find much to help with the sometimes difficult and always rewarding responsibility of raising a small child.

In a book so full of useful information -- offered in a firm but loving tone -- it is difficult to identify the most significant piece. We bought the book for a complete description of Rosemond's potty-training method (try it; it works!), but there's much, much more there. "Making the Terrible Twos Terrific!" contains probably the best perspective ever written on the difficult transition that children go through from infancy to toddler-hood. Remember, Rosemond tells us, when your baby was born, he opened his eyes, looked at the world and thought, "Wow! Look what I did!" It's from this completely egocentric outlook that the toddler begins his transition into a social human being. Given that viewpoint, it is easy for parents to learn how to best manage and nurture this wonderful, magic time.

Read the book. Keep it for reference. Enjoy it. Then go and enjoy your little person-to-be.

Rosemond provides a no-nonsense, commonsense approach to parenting where the goal of each stage is to allow your child to grow into the next stage with firm and loving guidance, but little interference. He is a delightfully humorous writer who obviously loves children. If you have not read any of John Rosemond's books, I suggest that you read his Six Point Plan first. He builds on the foundation he provided in the John Rosemond's Six Point Plan to Raising Happy, Healthy Children, and I was certainly glad I had read it before I started this book. That being said, there is a tremendous amount in Making the 'Terrible' Two's Terrific that is specific to this particular age and the subject warrants its own book. Yes-there is a potty training chapter too! He devotes the first section to the different developmental wonders of two year olds and the challenges these can create for parents. I've found, as a parent, that understanding my daughter's developmental needs has led to greater patience. This is a scary time for kids, as they are beginning to realize that the world does not revolve around them. He fully understands that two year olds have limited attention span and while he is viewed as a conservative, his approach emphasizes prevention at this stage and is not overly harsh. END

Simply put...this book has advice that WORKS. I can't say enough about it. I've read tons of books on this subject, all of which were missing the key ingredient: STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS!!! Finally, a book that tells you HOW! THANK YOU!

Being an education major I was assigned this book for a class project. It is an interesting day by day journal of author John Holt's experience as a teacher in a Colorado private school. Holt's insights are honest and convey what some of the major problems are with todays students. The book's strength comes from the way Holt sees through the eyes of children who desperately want to please the adults who teach them but, out of fear hold back their talents for learning. Although the book is sixteen years old it remains a strong indictment of our modern educational system. I strongly recommend this read for anyone entering the field of education.

This book with its simple format and language has opened my eyes to possibilities and perspectives that I simply never thought of. As an educator, I think everyone in the world of education should read. From policy-makers to administrators to teachers to school psychologists, and very specially, parents, we all owe it to our children and to ourselves to become informed and critical about the efficiency (or the lack thereof) of our educational system. Especially at times, such as now, when our children seem to be failing more than ever. Holt's observations, although limited to private schools, provide one with a solid view of what is happening in the world of teaching accross the board. Holt makes and answers questions that are not only relevant to his subject but vital to the development of better teaching. Holt's idea that we don't know enough about student-teacher relationships could not be more accurate. I know this because I am an educator. I agree with Holt when he says that it is time that we look beyond ourselves and our own interest and begin looking at students with respect. As an insider, I couldn't help blushing while reading the reasons that Holt gives for children's failure in school. I was only able to nod my head positively when he said that teachers aren't listening to their students because they are only listening to what they want to hear. Another reason children fail, according to Holt, is that they are not being intellectually challenged enough at school. The conclusion made by Holt makes plenty of sense. Teachers definitely need to make every effort to free their teaching from ambiguity, confusion and self-contradiction. Besides teachers, the pointing finger also points to standardized exams. Standardized exams, I agree with the author, do not make our children more knowledgeable. Holt's final verdict is clear and pungent: Students are failing because adults-teachers, administrators, parents, policy-makers, etc.-are not doing their jobs. Although not a pleasant thing to hear (especially for those of us who have chosen to dedicate our lives to the education of our young), I am personally grateful to Mr. Holt for taking a bold stand to face us with our demons.

This book should be required reading for all education students. It won't show you how to be a good teacher, but it will show you how to be a bad one. John Holt's careful and honest examination of the utter dysfunction that typifies classrooms to this very day, had it been digested by the education Establishment, might have helped save countless lives. It is often treated as axiomatic that what teachers do to students, whether it is facilitating, teaching, socializing, or conditioning, is ultimately for the students' benefit. Alas, many of our children learn the hard way that this is not the case; most often, teachers do far more harm than good. It is a tragedy of immense proportion that these people cloak their monstrous misdeeds behind a public perception of teaching as a noble, selfless, underpaid profession. Most teachers are despicable villians trapped in their own closed minds, petty fascists who relish their authority over helpless children and who secretly (or not-so-secretly) regard learning with fear and contempt. Holt's notes on his own experience as a teacher will remind those of you who forgot, or, possibly, enlighten those of you who were duped. This atrocity must be stopped. But please, don't hurt the teachers. They're victims too.

I bought this book thinking that it would be fascinating! I read online reviews that made it seem credible. Unfortunately, many of these reviewers did not have a background in psychology but I do. I was disappointed with this author's ludicrous claims and sloppy scholarship. Some claims are loosely supported by actual studies with some validity while other claims have no valid or reliable experiments/studies to back them up. For example, Verny claims that babies that are induced are more prone to sexual sadism and masochistic behavior! He cites no study to back up this ridiculous claim! Also, Verny equates emotional health with the personality traits of openness and extroversion. To suggest that a child who is shy and introverted is maladjusted is bad psychology. Personality theory has proven that these can be innate and inborn traits. My complaints go on... PLEASE, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK. It's muddy...some valid claims mixed with very stupid ones. It's an example of how someone with "M.D" at the end of his/her name can sell a book that the layperson believes due to the author's credentials. However, I can assure you that my graduate school professors would have given this research writer a D.

sorry for my spelling but I am from mexico
I am amazed buy the people who dont love this book, personaly I love it perhaps it lacks more proof and more studies but the information can change the life of your children I folowed all their advice for I had no maternal instinct during my pregnacy
so I did everithing the book said to bond with my child, and I can tell it is the best thing I have ever done my daughter and I have a wonderfull bond and I am rereading it again for muy second pregnacy, congradulations to the authers.

As an OB/GYN, this book is required reading for all of my pregnant patients as well as for those thinking of starting a family. Any physician who is up to date with current peer-reviewed literature in the realm of prenatal psychology would know the value of Dr. Verny's book and his work. ...

I have used this book as part of my practice since I first found the book 4 years ago. It is simply written, amuzingly illustrated, and covers ALL aspects of using time out with children. It does not deal with adolescents, or the other methods of child management as throughly, though reward systems, contracts, and a few other tips are covered. I have found it most usefully for parents of limited reading ability (or who simply don't like to read) in teaching them how to correctly use time out. For this it has been invaulable. I try to always keep several on my self to loan out!

THIS IS A MUST FOR EVERY PARENT. I READ THE BOOK AND HAVE FOLLOWED IT FAITHFULLY FOR OVER A YEAR, THE DIFFERENCE IN MY CHILDS BEHAVIOR IS AMAZING. I AM BUYING MORE COPIES TO GIVE AS GIFTS TO EXPECTING PARENTS I KNOW. I ENCOURAGE EVERY NEW PARENT TO READ THIS BOOK. IT IS AMAZING HOW WE REWARD BAD BEHAVIOR IN OUR CHILDREN AND NOT EVEN REALIZE WHAT WE ARE DOING. EVERY PARENT READ THIS BOOK.

This excellent book was given to me by another parent when my son was three. I was pulling my hair out and yelling and nothing I tried worked. This book helped me understand my child and gave me a method for dealing with undesirable behaviour without yelling or losing my temper or losing control of the situation. Just having a strategy in advance was helpful. And I used it with my second child. This is the best book for parents to have, in my opinion.