I found this book to be honestly insightful, and easy to follow. The forms included provide exceptional assistance to parents when interviewing, and doing background checks on prospective providers. They no longer have to depend upon the word of employers and providers that the care they're offering is safe and reliable. The book's step-by-step process is exactly what parents need to be in control, and to make informed decisions about the care of their most precious assets... their children. I would recommend this book to all parents who want, and deserve, the best quality child care.

I ordered this book after reading about it in Chicago Parent Magazine. This book should be required reading for all parents. I would say this book rates a 10, and so would my son. Elaine

After searching , without any guidance for child care, How to FInd the Best Quality Child Care has been a Lifesaver. As a parent of four daughters, I dont think their is better information available. I would recommend this book to any working parent.

The author is highly qualified to give parenting advice, not only as a pediatrician, a specialist in behavioral pediatrics, family therapy, and crisis intervention, but as a PARENT. I bought this book (and every other book on child care, literally) while pregnant with my first daughter. After two more children (and several more books), I feel that this is the most practical, readable, and usable parenting book there is. I gave several copies to friends and am now trying to secure more copies for gifts. The advice in this book is gold - reasonable, simple, easy, and definitely field-tested. REALLY, buy it.

I ran upon this book at a local physicians office and absolutely fell in love with it. I told my daughter's physician that I had to have it so I wrote down the name and author and I am currently trying to order a copy and actually got lucky, it is on it's way. I would recommend this book to every parent.

Compared to the multitude of parenting books available, I found "Prescriptions for Parenting," by Carol Ann Meeks, to be an incisive, practical guide for successfully handling common parenting challenges. Each chapter addresses specific behaviors (both the child and parent's) and offers solutions for the desired outcome. The concise format is a boon to busy parents because it is quick to read and portable! The author provides crib notes, ideal for copying, to remind the reader of the actions suggested in the book. This book is suitable for parents who have children of any age, as Meeks addresses problems from toddlers to adolescents. It is a gem

This book is wonderful. Every parent of a child with asthma must read it. I have searched and searched for information this helpful and practical for two years. The book gave me confidence in our Dr. (who is always too busy to give us much information), but also pointed out some areas we need to work on with the Dr. I always question all the medication we give our son. After reading this book, I feel I understand asthma and the current treatment plans.

This is a must read. It explains everything. It is a handbook to take with you on your next doctor's visit. It gives you guidelines on how to asthma-proof your home. It explains medication in ENGLISH. I like the book and have enjoyed reading it. If you, or someone you know, has asthma this is the book you should have.

This book tells of the discovery of america to the wold wars. Written for children, it has black&white illustrations and large print. Highly recommended for children starting on American history.

This book has all the answers I needed to teach my four kids about money, saving, chores, and investing. I would recommend it to ANY parent who cares about their kids.

I read this book over the weekend and have already sent out a mass email to parents I know telling them to read this book! This book succinctly and honestly answers questions that I'm always hearing on the "parent circuit." Not only about about teasing, but about all social skills, popularity, being ostracized, girls worrying they are fat-- you name it, it is probably addressed in this book. And the authors do a wonderful job of letting you know when you are worrying too much, or too little about an issue. A must read!

Those of us who are familiar with the Rosenthal et al. text recognize it for what it has been for many years: the standard text in the field of brain injury rehabilitation. This books continues to be the standard in the field of TBI rehabilitation, and is a must-read for any professional in any field of head injury assessment and rehabilitation.

Before I even finished this book I began using the "dispassionate" techniques Dr. Bradley recommends. The results have been dramatic. My 13 year-old and I have not had a screaming fight in a while (they were happening every other day) AND we have been communicating in a way I thought was lost forever. Dr. Bradley uses an upbeat and candid style to get across all that ails today's teens, from medical insight that supports the notion that our kids are crazy (his term, not mine), to an environment that inundates them with sex, drugs and rock and roll at a very early age. His case studies are enlightening, and sometimes terrifying, but a wonderful way to get his point across without bogging down the reader with too much psychobabble. I highly recommend this book not just for parents of teenagers-my relationship with my 10 year-old is already benefitting from my newly learned parenting skills-but for every parent who has, at one time or another, been frustrated while trying to communicate with his or her child.

Dr. Michael Bradley's book, "Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!" is an
inspiration and should be on every parent's night stand, indefinitely.

From the frightening statistics on teen suicide today to safety and privacy issues, you will finally understand what you're dealing with as a parent and what you can do to make the experience better for your teenager and your family.

Dr. Bradley's grasp of teen fears, trials and needs is a pleasant reminder to be kind to our teens in an otherwise punitive society. This book is a guiding light for parents trying to love sometimes unlovable kids while also providing security in the face of panic. He offers excellent guidelines to help conquer your fears while also helping your teen deal with their own tumultuous world.

Having read Teens in Turmoil, I would have clenched harder at every indiscretion my two teens commit, convinced that they are at risk. I was miserable and scared. but immediately when I began reading this book, my views were altered dramatically. I don't feel so nervous about all the typical-by-Dr.-Bradley's-view things my teens do. this helped me develop a perspective that allowed room for my kids to become and be who they will without me getting in the way, but with some practical measure of limits and growth applied.

it's a friendly and compassionate book both to the teen and the parent. Dr. Bradley is on the side of both teen and parent and makes me feel that I'm not doing so badly, and most important that I'm not alone. His own personal accounts are some of the most enlightening, and come with tension and suprize.

I was first offput by some cutesy language, but it is used unabashedly throughout, and so now I accept it as part of Dr. Bradley, the child psychologist with a little bit of a ham in him. the reading is very easy and grabs the reader right away, but the opening material is easy to take in, despite the fear it might instill (in what our society is doing to itself). past 1/2 way the material is more difficult, dealing with the guts of tough issues, so I have slowed down for the home stretch.

All in all, I would highly highly recommend this reading to any parent of a teen. Please read it and learn you are probably doing ok, if you are concerned enough to find the time to spend with this book.

For parents with a desire to learn more about the psychological development of their child and the profound impact of peer pressure, this book contains some valuable information. The book deals with various aspects of development such as rejection, neglect and acceptance. The book helps the reader to understand how those elements can have a psychological influence on the child and their social interaction with others.

An extremely important section of the book deals with the school system itself and how changes need to be made to better adapt the learning environment to a childs emotional needs if the child is to development in a positive and socially acceptable manner. The book has been well researched and would be of particular interest not only to parents, but anyone invovled with the care and education of children.

This book has been a help in understanding my five-year-old's peer relationships, and is thought-provoking even for non-parents. I found the book well-organized and well-written. It helps make sense of children's behavior in terms of their needs for "connection, recognition, and power." It points out that children balance these three needs. Soon after reading this book, my son provided a stunningly concrete example of this. He and his friend had drawn chalk "tornado spinners" on the driveway. My son said, "My tornado spinner is more powerful than yours, because it's bigger." The other boy quietly said, "I'm not sure if I want to be friends with you any more." My son said, "OK, OK, they're the same power." The need for connection had won over the need for power and recognition.

There are some helpful hints to be gleaned from the book as well. Here's one I related to. Often, if a child has a problem at school with another child one day, the parent will tend to ask the child on the following day, "So, how did it go with Johnny today?" Your child, meanwhile, had forgotten all about the problem, but your comment provokes a "come to think of it..." reaction, causing the child to continue to dredge up negatives.

The book divides children into "accepted," "rejected," and "neglected" types, to describe how their peers treat them. I fell squarely into the "neglected" category, which I think explains my lack of understanding of the "need to belong" that so many people feel -- I wasn't really "in the game."

The authors mention a fascinating psychological experiment dealing with the need to belong. The subject was put into a group of people, and all were supposed to look at several pairs of lines and tell which was the longer line: A or B. The members of the group were told in advance to lie in one case, and say that Line B was longer. Two out of three subjects went along with the group, and also said that Line B was longer! I was truly stunned by this result -- it explains a lot about the dark side of human behavior. One of the authors asked a group of children why they thought the subject went along with the group, and she said, "He wanted to be in the 'B-Line Club'." The authors avoid any moral denunciation of this kind of follow-the-group behavior, apparently feeling it wouldn't be appropriate in a book on psychology.

I highly recommend this book. I found it useful, and also just plain intrinsically interesting.

This book deserves many more than five stars for its careful, thoughtful, and detailed look at how children develop their social lives. Like all remarkable books, it will extend your understanding beyond your personal life experiences and provide simple, common sense guidelines for achieving outstanding results. If you only read one book this year about improving the social life of your child, make it this one!

Every book I read about the psychological problems of youngsters focuses on the forms of social exclusion and bullying that typically occur in schools and neighborhoods. Best Friends, Worst Enemies takes that as the starting point, explains what causes the social exclusion and bullying, and details what schools and parents can do to eliminate it.

Social connection between children begins at a younger age than most people believe. The book details videotaped studies of infants watching and connecting with each other. Then, step-by-step, the authors show you how social interaction develops from those early months through to dating. I was particularly impressed by the conceptual description of youngsters being assigned a place versus the in group (in or out, and high or low status in that role). Although I could not articulate it, that certainly captures my recollection of those painful teenage years.

The use of animal studies is persuasive for the ways that humans often behave. I found myself chuckling over the descriptions of Alpha male and Queen Bee female behaviors.

The best part of the book is that it points out that exclusion is bad for those who do it, as well as for those who suffer from it. So all parents and all youngsters should be concerned.

The book avoids being too technical about psychological concepts. Everything described is built around the common human needs for connection, recognition, and power.

The section about how to improve schools was very sensitively done. It pointed out that teachers almost always know what's going on, but don't always know what to do about it. The many ideas for mixing the young people up and giving them all a chance to shine will, I'm sure, make many teachers enjoy their work more and help more students. I especially liked the idea of having a counselor meet with the kids who have trouble reading social clues, and helping them discuss and learn from each other how to connect. The idea of having high-status kids mentor low-status kids over the summer was also appealing.

Parents will have a tougher job to follow the advice here. You need to set a better example, and not be exclusionary in your own life . . . not gossip about others behind their backs . . . and help opens doors for your shy and excluded, or popular and obnoxious youngster. But, it's good advice . . . if you have what it takes to follow the advice.

Ask yourself at least once a day: How can I help someone feel included and appreciated today? Then, act!

Kindlon and Thompson have written an insightful study of what's going wrong (and right) with our boys. With middle-school shootings and spouse abuse headlining our newspapers, this is a must-read for every parent and teacher. Besides having academic credentials, the authors have much experience as fathers and as counselors in private practice and in schools. The book is peppered with lively anecdotes to illustrate their theories.

Because I had no brothers and therefore not much experience with boy-psychology, this book taught me a great deal about the culture of cruelty practiced by adolescent boys and why boys often brag, misuse girls, drink, and tease. The authors are not mere alarmists, however. They encourage us to provide safe, nurturing homes and classrooms for our boys, to help them understand feelings other than anger, resulting in sensitive, strong, and caring men.

As a colleague of Michael Thompson, co-author with Dan Kindlon of the forthcoming book Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, I had the chance to read a pre-publication copy of the manuscript, and I recommend it highly. The book is well-written, engaging, informative, and thought-provoking. It is unusual for two pyschologists to write so well for the general public, without talking down to them and without being too academic. Raising Cain reviews the latest research about boys, gives rich and poignant anecdotes, offers a profound understanding of the depth of situation for boys in our society, and makes helpful suggestions for parents and teachers. Raising Cain covers a wide range of topics, from boys' emotional lives (the way they are untrained in reading and expressing emotions) to their early school years (which the authors refer to as "thorns among roses," referring to the way boys often fail to fit in or thrive in early elementary school) to the role of mothers (who try hard to stay connected to their sons in the face of overwhelming pressures on boys to separate) and the role of fathers (too often absent, at least emotionally, from the lives of sons). Another chapter discusses the fact that boys are more likely to be subjected to harsh discipline, and offers a variety of alternatives. There are also chapters on boys and romance, alcohol and drug use, depression and withdrawal. My favorite chapter, and the one that distinguishes this book from other recent books about boys, is on 'the culture of cruelty,' about what boys do to each other, espcially in early adolescence. Despite many efforts by paretns and educators, boys attack each other physically and emotionally, enforcing narrow definitions of masculinity and sexuality, leaving many boys scarred guarded, and lonely. The unique perspective of Raising Cain is that boys, for many reasons, impose these conditions on each other--it doesn't all come from the media or the broader culture. Several recent books have covered roughly similar territory, with a shared concern for the welfare of boys. Unlike Michael Gurian's book, Raising Cain rejects the idea that the 'boy-brain' is somehow ill-equipped to handle emotions. Though boys' biology does play a role, its contribution to boys clipped, withdrawn style is small compared to the role of socialization--boys are systematically pressured to shut down and shut others out. Unlike William Pollack's book, Raising Cain does not argue that mothers abandon their sons prematurely--rather, Kindlon and Thompson argue that the culture drives them apart, while most mothers strive mightily to stay connected, and keep trying even when they are confused and bewildered. Meanwhile, they describe boys having a 'hole in their soul' from their lack of a close emotional connection with men, starting with their fathers. I understand that Raising Cain will be available in early April--it is worth the wait.

I could easily rate this book 6 stars or more and cannot say enough about all the helpful insights it has to offer. I'm the mom of an 8 year old boy who's life is about to improve because I read this book. I consider myself an okay mother, but I am always open-minded about improving my parenting skills. The information I've learned by reading "Raising Cain" is incredibly enlightening, and so valuable to me I feel like I hit the jackpot. Anyone wanting to parent their son(s) better needs to read this book. I want to buy copies of it to pass around to a number of friends of mine who are raising boys, as well as several teachers I know who would appreciate this insightful material to help them in their classrooms. I've gotten involved with my son's school as a Parent-Teacher Organization "mom" not only to touch base with my son more often but also to reach out to students who might not get as much attention as they need in over-crowded classrooms, and this book is proving to be a valuable tool filled with information to help me be more effective in understanding the boys whose lives I can hopefully influence for the better.