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40th out of 60 books
—
3 voters
The Parenting Breakthrough: Real-Life Plan to Teach Your Kids to Work, Save Money, and Be Truly Independent
If more children were educated on savings, a host of ills from credit problems to bankruptcy to divorce would be avoided." -M. Boyack
Fun and practical, author Merrilee Boycak will have readers laughing out loud as well as feeling grateful for her parenting advice. She s a mom who s spent the last 22 years in the real-life work of parenting. "I have four sons, 13, 15, 17, a
Paperback, 221 pages
Published
August 1st 2005
by Shadow Mountain
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Finally someone else has thought it all out--how I can teach my kids how to grow up to be knowledgeable, independent, self-reliant, and self-assured. I don't know anyone who doesn't want that! Fantastic, common-sense ideas that I haven't seen elsewhere.
If I'm going to read a parenting book, I prefer one written by a real-life mom. That's just what this is. The writing style is conversational, like a chat across the kitchen table. The content is packed with sound, practical ideas. I particularly like that the author is raising four boys in the town next door to where I grew up in southern California.
Boyack begins by urging mothers not to let their nurturing instincts go into overdrive. If we do everything for our children, they won’t learn valu...more
May 30, 2008
Amy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Amy by:
Annetta H
Shelves:
resource,
to-buy-wish-list
I enjoyed this book. I've never been into parenting books, but this was recommended by a neighbor so I thought I'd give it a try. I expected it would take longer to get through, as most non-fictions do, but it turned out to be a fairly quick read. I really enjoyed her candidness (she's real), and she has a straight forward approach to teaching our chldren to be independant. We do coddle our children too much, and although some of her ideas seem odd because we haven't as of yet considered them, t...more
Feb 26, 2009
Abby
marked it as to-read
So my husband has two brothers who have never grown up. That is not a nitpicky thing, it's just factual truth of reality-ness. One is almost 30 and lives in his parent's basement still, playing video games and reading books and never socializing with human beings. (To be completely fair, he is just now, at this very moment, buying a townhouse and moving out on his own. But up until this moment, it has been 100% true.) The other brother comes and goes. He has one job, then loses it, then gets ano...more
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There was nothing earth shattering about the advice in this book, but there were some good take aways I am going to try in our family. I feel like my mom did a good job teaching us to be responsible and independent because she worked and we had to be, but as a stay at home mom I think I tend to "just do it myself" instead of teaching my kids. There is always room for improvement as parents!
Notwithstanding the slightly creepy cover illustration and nondescript title, The Parenting Breakthrough is an awesome book! I have a parenting book addiction and this is one of my top 3 favorites of all time. It is by an LDS author, but other than some emphasis on saving money for missions the whole book is applicable to pretty much anybody (religious or not) who wants to raise children who will become decent, self-sufficient, resourceful adults.
This book gave me a longer-term vision for my fam...more
This book gave me a longer-term vision for my fam...more
This book came as an answer to a deep desire to find order in my family. I sorrow only at wishing I had read this book when my children were a little bit younger, to fully progress through what I believe to be an inspired course toward independance and success. Putting these ideals to work in our home has made a measurable difference if only in my outlook and attitude. I appreciated how Boyack got right to the point and though it does come across as a little abrasive and pious I would rather cut...more
I LOVE this book. Not because it is written well--it isn't. But the whole point of it is that if you want your kids to be independent adults one day you need to have a plan in place to make that happen. And she lays it all out for you with a time line and everything. You'll need to tweak it for your own family, but it has such great ideas, is a guiding light, etc., etc., that I keep it on my nightstand and refer to it often. I've not made the extensive long term goal list yet; however, I've deci...more
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Warning: One of my longer reviews and I even edited a lot out.
This book covered a lot of bases, but a couple of things that I really enjoyed is how the author stressed not giving into our kids' wants and doing everything for them "because I love them". If we love our kids we would not do everything for them but teach them how to do everything for themselves; change a tire, clean a toilet, make a bed, manage their finances (she suggested that a four year old should be able to make their own brea...more
This book covered a lot of bases, but a couple of things that I really enjoyed is how the author stressed not giving into our kids' wants and doing everything for them "because I love them". If we love our kids we would not do everything for them but teach them how to do everything for themselves; change a tire, clean a toilet, make a bed, manage their finances (she suggested that a four year old should be able to make their own brea...more
I was loaned this book by a great friend and I absolutely love it!!! I can't wait to finish it and start implementing all of her great ideas!! We have already started some. It's one that I need to go out and buy because I am planning on rereading it every year for a pep talk, :) and because I know as my kids get older new things will stand out more to me.
Boyack basically asks the question, "What written down, thought out, today through the future plan do you have to raise hard working, saving,...more
Boyack basically asks the question, "What written down, thought out, today through the future plan do you have to raise hard working, saving,...more
Boyack says in her book that most of the parents that don't agree with, "The Parenting Breakthrough" are the ones that are complaining about the way their children act. I'd like to hope that my husband and I will implement some of Boyack's ideas once we have kids. Until then I love how the author comments on the "bounce back generation." A generation in which we live where children move out right after high school only to return home shortly after because they couldn't handle the reality of mana...more
I've got to buy this one because I know I'll refer back to it in years to come. I really liked Merrilee Boyack's humour and down-to-earth attitude. She came up with some really thought-provoking ideas and principles. What struck me most was her emphasis on training: parenting in her book is all about training children to be independent adults. She seems to have a rota for everything - even where kids sit in the minivan, but I loved her idea of everyone setting the table together instead of takin...more
A friend gave this to me that I respect a lot as far as organization and parenting, and although it is really heavy on the mormon culture, which was fine for me, but people not of that faith may get caught up in the lingo she uses. Other than that, I really enjoyed it and it was a great and light parenting book for me. Lots of good lists and charts on how to make your kids more independent and what they should be doing at what age. What you should be able to expect of your kids, teaching them ab...more
I really enjoyed this parenting book, especially the first few chapters. Merrilee Boyack is the mother of four boys and she shares some of her great parenting ideas in this book. I loved the ideas about what kids should know how to do on their own at certain ages. I know that sometimes I find myself doing too much for my kids which doesn't really help them in the long run. There is also a chapter on how to train your children to become financially independant and I think we're going to implement...more
I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt like her ideas were practical, reasonable and doable. She had a lot of good points on how to help kids understand money, and offers tips on how to teach them to respect and value money and saving from and early age. As I read through the book I was able to recognize things my parents had done while raising me and see how I can now implement them. I got it for tips on helping my kids get better at helping with their chores, but I got a lot more out of it...more
This is book is absolutely essential for any parenting library. It is a whole new (unfortunately) paradigm and the GREATEST book! It deals with teaching kids independence and the life skills they need to grow up and be adults.
Aug 09, 2011
Natalie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Tired parents desperate to learn how to teach their kids to do some of the work!
Shelves:
read-bits-and-pieces
I purchased this book on half.com after reading several great reviews from bloggers and such. I purchased it with the intent on learning more about how to get my kids to work and be totally ready to leave the nest at the proper age.
The portions that apply to my stage of parenting (4, 3 and 1 year old) I enjoyed - which were the lists of "skills" that children can learn at each age. Maybe I'll find other portions of the book more applicable later on.... but right now I really don't have any desir...more
The portions that apply to my stage of parenting (4, 3 and 1 year old) I enjoyed - which were the lists of "skills" that children can learn at each age. Maybe I'll find other portions of the book more applicable later on.... but right now I really don't have any desir...more
In the passed couple of years, we have doubled our family through adoption and foster care. It definitely has not been easy, however, I wouldn't trade it for anything. With our new family members came new challenges. What worked with my biological kiddo's didn't work with our new members of our family. Since then, I've been a constant reader of parenting books, child development books, books on attachment, books on adoption, etc. I want to be able to do the best I can to be a good mother to ALL...more
I loved this book. It gave me a lot of great ideas for teaching my kids how to be more independent. By implementing some of the ideas from this book it has made a huge difference in my family already.
1 like · like · see review
The idea behind this book really isn't new or innovative. It's intuitive, but no one's really ever written about it before (at least to my knowledge). Most moms I know drop off their kids at college and basically wish them luck in learning everything it takes to be an independent adult like cooking, all the stuff they need to clean, how to take care of a car, and money matters. There are the few and far between that actually know how to feed themselves and their roommates, the few that have had...more
An intriguing chapter on "the plan" but so full of opinion as fact--my way or the highway "advice" that by the end I was feeling a self protective, juvenile defensiveness that culminated with the determination to be successful my own way! That pride will probably wear down eventually and I may peek back with interest at "the plan" and extract an insight here or there into my own parenting work ethic, but this was not the enlightening AH-HA read that its "breakthrough" claims to be--at least not...more
the five stars are for the job teaching plan and the missionary savings fund plan. I had my own job list before this book, but having someone else's tried and tested list to compare it to is priceless. I feel financially illiterate, so two chapters on teaching kids finances were helpful. I have always refused to do allowance, but the plan the author of this book shares for allowance, solves the issues I had with it, so my kids should be thanking her.
The narrative voice in this book is supposed t...more
The narrative voice in this book is supposed t...more
This is a great book. If you have not decided your job as a parent is to teach children independent living, this is a good book for you. I was hoping for more detail, but I think the fact is, and the author mentions this, is that all children are different and there is no magical way to get children to do chores! The important thing is that can they do them, and learn to do lots of basic things before leaving home. Household duties, yard chores, making their own dr appointments, handling money f...more
LOVED this. Jessica Moore has referred to me some of my favorite parenting books. This was so enlightening to me. I thought about parenting as a job. If I was back working in PR would I stay up to midnight knowing I had a client mtg the next day? No. I would be sooo prepared and make sure I had 3 interviews lined up with reporters the following day. So why don't I think of motherhood as a job? I should be more prepared for each day. I need a plan as I would working in PR. It just gave me a new f...more
This is a great book on teaching your children to work on their own, be responsible for themselves, be financially wise, etc. Some of the ideas fall under the "tough love" category, but in a mild way (ie "You didn't get that homework project done and it's due this morning? What will you do?" instead of "You didn't get it done, let me help you."). There is also much advice to love and encourage and support your children. Good balance.
One more thing. There's also a cd called "Teaching Your Childre...more
One more thing. There's also a cd called "Teaching Your Childre...more
This is a really good book! I will use a lot of information in this one with my family. I marked everything I thought was interesting as I read it and now I am going to go back and write down all the things I need to start implementing now (I'm very lucky I read this while my kids are still young). I thought this book gave great advice, but was still very real! The other book about teaching children to work that I read before this one, had a lot of good information, but was really made for child...more
I actually really liked this book--the author is very funny and put a lot of personality into it. I would like to own this book and use it as a reference book. I already want to go back and re-cap. The information was like listening to a good sac meeting talk, nothing really brand new, but motivating--makes you want to go and do a better job than you have been doing. And kudos to the author--she only quoted 2 other parenting books and one of them was Dr. Thomas Gordon of P.E.T. fame :) A family...more
This is a book geared to help parents raise independent children. The first half of the book is especially good. She explains "The Plan"--a roadmap for her and husband in how they wanted to parent their children. Especially interesting is to see the list she includes with what skills a child should have at a certain age so that by the time they leave home, they can be competent adults. She has a discussion on chores and money. Actually a good chunk of the book is about teaching money issues to c...more
Amazing. I love it when people speak of parenting in non-apologetic terms. She discusses parenting not in discipline terms, but in how to help your children become independent, how to teach them LIFE SKILLS to keep them afloat and happy. Heck, I learned a lot of things to change/implement in my own life. A HUGE recommendation - whether your kids are newborn, teenager (I wish my parents would have used some of these skills on me), in college, or if you're a grandparent. Yeah. One could surmise I...more
LOVED this book. What a paradigm shift I experienced while reading this. Totally changed my perspective on chores and how I want to teach my children. My friend Annie B recommended this via goodreads, and I borrowed my sister's copy. I really really enjoyed it, and it was a quick read. This is an LDS author, so many of her principles of work have references to our belief in God etc. I would definitely still recommend this to a non-LDS friend, but would want them to know that there are religious...more
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May 16, 2008 10:15pm