"Must-Read" material for any parent who has struggled with Clarity, Consistency and Commitment ("3C's) in their home. Scott Gale was the typical pa...
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reviews
Aug 07, 2011
Scott Gale's Family Constitution is a parenting book that isn't too preachy and is filled with examples from the author's own family life. What I liked about the author's approach was that right off the bat, he admits his own shortcomings and mistakes as a parent. I thought that was an effective approach to build credibility - he's been "in the trenches" so to speak, and has learned from his experience. The idea of writing a constitution for your family and upholding to the rules detai
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Jul 26, 2011
Let me first start off by saying the core idea of this book is a worthwhile one, and not something that is covered in other parenting materials I have read. I also appreciate the humor and honesty with which Gale approaches his work. Furthermore, I appreciate the importance he gives to process as well as product, and how he not only give lip service to process but actually explains process.
That said, I did have issues with several elements of this book. There are several typos/font issues/etc More...
That said, I did have issues with several elements of this book. There are several typos/font issues/etc More...
Jan 27, 2011
Reynard
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I received the book through a program by Living Social. I chose and read it from the perspective of an adult who has been playing the children role for twenty years, and not a single day being a parent. Having been brought up by "the hard way," subject to arbitrary commands without proper explanation and/or discussion, I really appreciate Scott Gale's "constitutional method" as well as his insights. That approach resembles exactly what I, as a kid, had always wished from my o
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Jul 29, 2011
Dawn
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This is a very well-thought out book, both the problem and solution are addressed. He starts out explaining how the relationships in his family had become a problem and how that all came to a head. I think anyone who has ever resorted to empty threats in a time of desperation can understand his spiral down. Then he goes through the whole process of how the constitution came to be including all the road blocks and what didn't work and why. I don't know that we would ever write out a constit
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Jul 30, 2011
This is definitely a book for parents. Not just because it's a book on parenting, but because it was a very quick and easy read. With children around it is hard to find time to actually sit down and read a real book. The author's intention was to write a parenting book that parents would read and he succeeded. Gale had a lot of intelligent and practical tips. At one point I did feel like he was repeating himself a bit too much, but I guess it was important to reinforce his point. We have to be
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Nov 16, 2009
Heather
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In this book Scott Gale details the makings of a family constitution, which is basically a tool used to keep the family on the same page when it comes to expected behavior and family values. The constitution addresses each family’s individual goals. It lets each member know exactly what is expected of him or her and lines out the consequences, as well as the rewards, for behaviors. It makes complete sense that families run more smoothly when both children and adults have guidelines to follow, an
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Oct 12, 2009
Alaine
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If you are stressed out with all the pressures of juggling work and family life then this is a book I'd highly recommend to you. Scott Gale tells the story of his own family crisis and what lead up to it with refreshing honesty and frankness. Through his own experience he helps you identify your own families 'core issues' without preaching to you, rather the book is written in such a way that it makes you feel as if you are having a conversation.
One of my favourite things about this More...
One of my favourite things about this More...
Apr 25, 2010
Jay
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This short book makes a case for involving your family in setting rules and defining the carrots and sticks that are used in making the rules work. The author provides an example of his family's constitution and describes in anecdotes how it came about, how it works, and how it changes. I think this has application in my own family, although my kids are a few years older. I think the part of what he's done that makes it work is persistence, which is the hardest part of any process. There aren't
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Sep 30, 2011
Jason
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Overall, I wasn't that into this book. Self-help books all have a few things to gleen, but I find that they are mostly littered with one person's opinion of what a family should be. The biggest plus to this book was that there were some websites in the back that I checked out and found useful. One of them was a printable chore list. My daughters have a horrible time following through with their chores and a printed chart has helped out immensely. But as I stated already, it is my opinion th
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Apr 25, 2010
Sheree
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Having read numerous parenting books and used a number of systems, strategies and techniques with varying degrees of success when my children were growing up I was very interested to see whether Your Family Constitution brought anything new to the table ... and surprisingly it did. Sharing his family's experience with refreshing honesty and humour, and some very funny cartoons, Scott Gale details the makings of the family system that brought order to his chaotic family life.
Your Fami More...
Your Fami More...
Dec 02, 2009
Cathe
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While I loved the idea of a family constitution, the book is mostly telling how bad the author's life was before the constitution and how wonderful it was after the constitution. It's finally in the last few pages that we actually get to see what it is . . . While I found the advice sound, really this could have been an article rather than a book.
Aug 03, 2011
The premise for this book is good, but the execution could have been more thoughtful. I would have liked to have learned less about his family and more about a couple of other families that were completely different from his, but able to apply his strategies.
Nov 18, 2009
Reading
rated it:
read this review and others at http://readingforsanity.blogspot.com/200...
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