No: Why Kids--of All Ages--Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It Paperback – 4 September 2007

Good read

Good book

The book came on time and was just what I expected

Recently, my husband and I became foster parents, and as we struggle with polishing up our rusty parenting skills, I began looking for inspiration and help. It just so happened that U.S. News and World Report had an article on this book, and I was intrigued. This book has exceeded my expectations and given me some easy-to-implement ideas and encouragement. It's so much easier to say No to your child when you know that you are doing the best thing for him or her! Walsh's chapters cover all ages, from infancy through the teen years, and there is also a chapter dealing with special needs children, whom Walsh says are "wired differently." One of my favorite chapters was "Taming the Gimmes." This chapter guides parents toward teaching children to deal with the constant onslaught of advertising and the media. It also has practical advice regarding allowance and teaching your child to share, save, and spend. At our house, we now have three jars set up to visually aide in the dividing of allowance into what is to be shared with others, what is to be saved for a long-term goal, and what can be spent for fun. Another important chapter deals with raising media-wise children. Walsh recommends limits to TV, video gaming, and computer time, while also acknowledging that children need to learn to access and use media in order to succeed in our world today. It had never occurred to me in this way, but Walsh contends that too much TV and video gaming reinforce the need for instant gratification, which of course then ties into "the gimmes." Dr. Walsh is the founder of the National Institute on Media and Family, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has written several other books that I feel are likely to be inspiring and of great help to parents, given his down-to-earth writing style. The Institute also has a website, [...]. Check it out for valuable information on "building healthy families through the wise use of media."

I give this book to new parents in my family. My dad heard Dr. Dave talking about it and introduced me to it. It really helps you to think about how you want to parent before you're in the heat of 5he moment. Knowing brain development really helps you to be mindful of your parenting . It allowed us foster our child's independence and empathy. I highly recommend it.

I'll be the first to admit that my liberal political bent does not cross over into the parenting arena. Part of raising secure kids, I think, is to make sure that they know that until they have developed the skills they need to make their own responsible decisions and are living on their own, they abide by the rules of the house. When we have to say, "NO", we need to mean it, we need to back it up, we need to make sure that the kids KNOW that they are not going to be able to whine, wheedle, tantrum, or negotiate our "NO" into anything else.If you're having trouble meaning what you say and saying what you mean, this book may very well help.