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52nd out of 163 books
—
86 voters
The Discipline Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Better-Behaved Child From Birth to Age Ten
Everything you need to know about discipline to raise a happy, well-adjusted, well-behaved child-from America's foremost baby and childcare experts Disciplining children means equipping them with the tools to succeed in life. In this unique guide, Dr. Bill and Martha Sears, the pediatrics specialists whose books on birth, babies, and parenting have become widely praised be...more
Paperback, 328 pages
Published
February 15th 1995
by Little, Brown and Company
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I absolutely love Dr. Sears. He and T.Berry Brazelton are my go-to reads on children. Sears advocates attachment parenting, which I don't follow to a T (such as co-sleeping and I can't breastfeed, not a personal thing but my body can't produce) but his philosophies are spot-on to me. I get what he's saying and why. When I follow his tips, I feel closer to my children and the general vibe in the house is awesome, and I feel like my kids are learning empathy and sensitivity. I refuse to read anyth...more
The edition that I read actually calls the book, "The Good Behaviour Book" and I think that is probably a better title.
I borrowed it from a friend and have kept it for months! Am finally returning it.
The chapters kept me sane as my daughter morphed from an adoring monosyllable infant into a 22 month old chatty, decisive (No! Not blue!) and highly opinionated toddler with occasional night terrors, meltdowns and constant picky-eating. It really calmed me down and let me view it all with a better...more
I borrowed it from a friend and have kept it for months! Am finally returning it.
The chapters kept me sane as my daughter morphed from an adoring monosyllable infant into a 22 month old chatty, decisive (No! Not blue!) and highly opinionated toddler with occasional night terrors, meltdowns and constant picky-eating. It really calmed me down and let me view it all with a better...more
BRILLIANT BOOK! The Sears approach to parenting in general and discipline in particular is one full of sensitivity, love and flexibility and yet this compassionate approach does not undermine the emphasis on correction and guidance - it underpins it. Instead of putting forward a one-size-fits-all type of discipline strategy, it helps the reader understand that the stage of development the child has reached and the temperament that the child was born with will effect his/her behaviour. Children c...more
I agreed with most of the concepts in this book, though much of it was simply reminders of how I already feel, such as have the discipline logically connect to the misbehavior (if kiddo leaves the bike out, temporarily put the bike up in the garage rafters for a few days). It's good to remember where my toddler might be coming from, and to read those basic tenants regarding impulse and desire and such. My biggest concerns are fairly specific, and thus weren't addressed in the book, though I thin...more
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It was solid, but not amazing or ground breaking. He does explain some things well, such as why one shouldn't spank, or why certain behaviors should be taken for the developmental process that they are. He does advocate some punitive measures, however, such as timeout, but thankfully does not recommend doing so before 2 when kids can actually understand the action. All in all, a good book for someone who already attachment parents or is interested in doing so, but others may be turned off by his...more
I'm not sure whether this is less helpful than other Dr. Sears books I've read, or if I've just overdosed on him a bit, but this is definitely not my favorite. The way Dr. Sears explains it, the answer to all discipline problems is attachment parenting in infancy. I'm a proponent of attachment parenting (with a grain of salt), but I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not going to solve all of my discipline problems later on.
This book hasn't been updated since the 90s, and you can tell. The emph...more
This book hasn't been updated since the 90s, and you can tell. The emph...more
This book is divided into three sections: 1) Promoting Desirable Behavior, 2) Correcting Undesirable Behavior, and 3) Discipline for Life. Section One is worth reading. Its coverage of a variety of discipline issues is comprehensive and it explains how child's developmental stages, environment in the home, and parenting philosophies/practices influence discipline. The next two sections do not seem consistent with the first. Though Sears says he doesn't support spanking, they have a whole section...more
There are a gazillion parenting advice books out there, and you don't have time to read them all. I read five or six, and this one resonated the best with me, so it's my go-to book for parenting. Every time we come up against a challenge I'm not sure on, I reach for this book and read the calming, gentle, rational, loving solution I need to hear.
Dr. Sear advocates Attachment Parenting, which is certainly controversial but worked well for me. This book extends that approach beyond infanthood and...more
Dr. Sear advocates Attachment Parenting, which is certainly controversial but worked well for me. This book extends that approach beyond infanthood and...more
I thought this book was helpful but I get a little frustrated with Dr.Sears at times. Every solution begins with "practice attachment parenting." I get it, and if I had to name a parenting philosophy that we follow, this would be the closest one. Now that my son is two and a half, I need some more solid advice than co-sleep and wear your baby from the moment they're born. I was pleased with the advice he did offer, I just thought the book was a little thick with the "discipline starts the moment...more
A must read for any parent. I will be re-reading sections of this book as my son gets older! Invaluable advice from a board certified pediatrician and father of 8, all of his books are great but this is definitely my favorite. From knowing what you can expect out of your child at each developmental stage to ways of handling difficult situations, The Discipline Book is reassuring and confidence-building.
As usual Dr. Sears is right on. He emphasizes the importance of a healthy attachment as necessary for successful discipline and also the biggest foundational tool to good discipline. Of course, discipline means teaching, not punishing in his book. But, he does advocate the use of time-outs which is about the only thing I would disagree with him on.
This is a really good book for both new parents and people looking for a solution for things that aren't working. I think a lot of the suggestions will be helpful for my second child, but my first has such a mind of his own, I haven't found many ways to coax him out of the terrible twos except taking him out and letting him run off his energy. :)
I only found this book minimally helpful with advice for my 7 year old, and it's too soon for it to be helpful with my infant. we already attachment parent, so I skipped a lot of it. there is also an undertone to the book that I don't really like...it's got a subtle message of power-over, and that's not how I want to raise my children.
While this book does have some really great tips and suggestions for discipline, most of it just seemed like common sense stuff to me. I also got really annoyed by a *million* statements like, "We find that attachment parented kids are basically perfect and don't act up." The authors may not have said it exactly like that, but even though I ascribe to many of the attachment parenting philosophies reading those statements over and over again often left me questioning if the reason for my daughter...more
I like the Sears and their approach to child rearing in general, but their insistence on carrying your child around all the time gets wearying. Apparently, not practicing attachment parenting from birth will cause all sorts of problems, including poor behavior later. This is not that helpful when you're past the baby stage. If you're having discipline issues, you get the subtle message that it's largely because you didn't carry your child around enough and didn't do their kind of attachment pare...more
While I am not entirely on board with the AP thing, I do like the Sears library. I don't co-sleep or carry my child contstantly, and my style of discipline is a bit more authoritian than the average AP parent. I do appreciate the emphasis on connecting with your child and listening to them in order to understand why they are "misbehaving". I mostly started to read this book to see if I can pick up some new ideas. So far, nothing stands out.
Update: Not something I was capable of reading from sta...more
Update: Not something I was capable of reading from sta...more
An older version of "The Good Behavior Book".. I think this title sounds a bit harsh, but the advice is very kind. Spanking/smacking disciple is discouraged and gentler age-appropriate alternatives are given. Very helpful if you were raised with a 'hands-on' approach:)
I haven't read this the whole way through- it is more of a reference guide or text than anything else. I do like a lot of their ideas. I have had some good luck with some of the things they suggest and will continue to refer to it. They have it all based on 'attachment parenting' and we used some of those ideas with Laneah from day one. We haven't used all of them though, so it is good to take what works.
I had a similar feel about this book as I did to Dr. Sears book, "The Breastfeeding Book". It's pretty heavy and reads a bit like a text book. However, I enjoy his philosophies and agree with a lot of what they have to say. Although I read the whole thing, i was so overwhelmed with all the knowledge that I am afraid I don't remember much. I think it will, however, make a great reference book to have around as I come upon struggles with particular behaviors - he gives great specific advice relati...more
I have to say I really learned a lot from reading this book. Especially I learned how much I don't know about parenting. There were some points where I realized some of the mistakes I had made even in my short history with kids. In some ways, it was very humbling, but at the same time I am glad I learned these things before my children get older, so hopefully I will have a chance to improve my parenting abilities.
My wife encouraged me to read this book in exchange for her reading "The Metabolic...more
My wife encouraged me to read this book in exchange for her reading "The Metabolic...more
This book validated how we deal with sleep in our home (family bed in infancy and early toddler hood and no CIO). It helped me re-evaluate how I was dealing with my son regarding discipline and helped me discover the little person he is!
I'm not in love with this book. I did drag it out over the course of at least a year, so maybe that made it less helpful, but I really didn't glean a lot of information or techniques that helped me as a parent. I enjoy the philosophy of gentle discipline, and the writing style was okay, but I didn't grasp the ideas well enough to even begin to know how to implement anything with any sort of consistency. I have read a lot of parenting books, and I would recommend most of them over this one. I was...more
Great book on positive discipline strategies from an Attachment viewpoint. Most of it I already knew or had heard about, but it was good to get a refresher. It was also great to read about WHY things worked so much better with kids who were raised in an Attachment style. I will certainly be putting a lot of these strategies to use with my own little one.
I love the Sears family but their discipline book is not worth it. It's too disjointed, doesn't clearly explain the positive/gentle discipline philosophy, and doesn't give good, concrete examples for how to handle various situations. And some of their advice I just didn't think was good at all. I greatly prefer Easy to Love:Difficult to Discipline and Kids Are Worth It for books that explain the whys and hows of positive/gentle discipline very well.
This is a book I go back to time and again when I am frustrated with my own ability to effectively parent my daughter. It's really helpful for creative and meaningful discipline in parenting. I highly recommend!
I agree with Dr. Sears' idea that being well attached to one's child is probably the best way to prevent discipline problems, but I find much of what he has to say to be tainted by sexism.
Very comprehensive review of gentle, attachment-promoting discipline, including discussions of developmentally-appropriate techniques for different ages and stages. The book can be a bit repetitive in places, and somewhat of a slow read, but the valuable information inside makes it worthwhile.
Thank you, William and Martha Sears. You advice just makes sense. I can do this! I am in love with your philosophy and will read all you other books.
Great advice, but very wordy. These types of books need to be brief with explicit examples of what to do/not to do. This book contained this, but it wasn't easily accessible.
Read it multiple times but always is a good check in for me when I feel the need to relook at my parenting style
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Dr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his "little patients" call him, is the father of eight children as well as the author of over 30 books on childcare. Dr. Bill is an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Dr. Bill received his pediatric training at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in T...more
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