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Jul 16, 2008

Amber rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Nov 01, 2007

Trish rated it:

I enjoyed this book and picked up several tips. The biggest tip was that we need to calm ourselves down in order to be a calm person for our children. It made me take a look at my parenting style and is helping me stay focused and in control when my 2 year old drives me nuts. Of course, parenting is difficult. Kids help us to grow up! That's his main two messages.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 11, 2008

Kaydence rated it:

Even though my oldest is almost 4 he is showing some early signs of his strong will. And I wanted to figure out how to nurture that will instead of killing it and making it succumb to MY will. He is so smart and persistent and I never want him to lose those qualities. This book helped me see how I could help HIM to be who he needs to be without putting all my eggs in his basket. It helped me see how damaging it can be to a child to NEED them to listen and obey your every word or you will los More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 27, 2008

*Christie* rated it:

I thought this had many good ideas and concepts. I need to buy my own copy so that I can read it about 6 times a year to remind myself! I didn't agree with some things. I especially don't agree that kids should be allowed to do what they want with their own space (their bedrooms) I'm sorry, but I pay the mortgage. If they want free reign over the condition of the room then I will take my house, divide up the mortgage per square foot and charge them rent. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Poor Hal Runk More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 02, 2012

Mrsyounger rated it:

This is the parenting book for my generation. Most other parenting books assume that you, the parent, have actually grown-up and are, at least, a fairly mature individual. This book does not make that mistake.

To sum up the book: Don't expect your kids to ease your anxiety. Deal with your own anxiety.

I think Runkel has some good thought and good recommendations. Our kids should not be the center of our worlds, but they should be apart of the world we live in. (as in the bi More...

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Sep 13, 2011

Christina rated it:

I liked this book overall, but I don't think there is anything new here. The bottom line of this book is, you need to get control of yourself before you can expect your children to get control of themselves. There are a lot of parents out there who just need to take a deep breath and put themselves in timeout before they deal with their kids' misbehavior. Every parent has reacted out of their own emotion at one time or another, some do this more than others. There were a few other good messa More...

0 comments like

Apr 21, 2011

Shalyce rated it:

First I have to say that the author comes across quite narcissistic--talking about how revolutionary his ideas are, constantly making plugs for other books he's writing, trying to incorporate ScreamFree as a verb as well as being condescending to the readers (at the end talking about how much we have learned and grown by this point). I wouldn't say that this book is revolutionary. 99% of the ideas aren't anything you haven't read or heard someplace before.

It had good reminders of th More...

5 comments like

Dec 07, 2010

Ann rated it:

In spite of myself. And in spite of my initial impressions when I began the book. I really learned from this. Ok, so a lot of it I already knew. But the way this was presented helped me to think of things in a new way that was somehow empowering to me. I am learning! And it appears that every one in the household has some growing up to do.

Some main points
1. No screaming. But there are more ways to scream than just screaming.
2. Be calm, cool, and connected. This is More...

1 comment like

Oct 07, 2010

Beth rated it:

A few years ago I read a parenting book, Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay. Logan was only two years old at the time; my other two kids weren't even born yet. I remember liking the principles in general but feeling a quite frustrated because I didn't know how to carry those principles over to parenting my two-year-old. (Gosh, that was a hard age. Hey, parents of two-year-olds: it gets better!)

ScreamFree Parenting has got a lot of the same principles from Lo More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

May 17, 2010

Sarah rated it:

This book is written in high Self-Help style, and I had to work to get past the terrible writing and into the messages the author is trying to convey. Fortunately, it is written in language simple enough for a child to follow, so a little extra work on the way wasn't much to ask. Here's an example of how bad the style is:

The greatest thing you can do for your kids is learn to focus on yourself.

That statement might not make complete sense right now. It might, in fact, seem downr

More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 08, 2010

David rated it:

The central tenant of this book: if you scream at your kids (or anyone, for that matter), then you’re out of control and have lowered yourself to a child’s level, and are competing with the child for who’s demands will be met. The author’s solution is that parents should focus more on themselves, managing their own emotions and avoiding knee-jerk reactionary responses. In this way, your children will learn to become more self-directed and better learn to control themselves, rather than relying More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 23, 2009

Brendan rated it:

I’m generally a calm guy. I don’t usually rant and rave or scream. But I also have a three-year old at home, a little person who has perfected the art of pushing my buttons and who can, with a few well timed and well-aimed misbehaviors, send me into froths of anxiety, sometimes leading me to raise my voice. I don’t like being that person.

Runkel’s book actually doesn’t have different insight than other books I’ve read. It’s a new phraseology on the same old arguments, ideas about More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 28, 2009

Jamie rated it:

I found this book to be very helpful. I saw a TV interview of the author and decided to buy the book because of that. The book is really not just about how not to scream, though; it's a comprehensive guide for adults to have self-control. Rather than place the control of the family in the hands of young children, the author advocates that adults first learn how to take care of their own behavior, and from that solid standpoint then discipline their children. Ultimately, he points out, you really More...

0 comments like

May 11, 2009

Charky rated it:

Meh. This book was okay, just as the two-star rating indicates. Nothing earth-shattering. All things that we already know. Don't scream at your kids. Yes, I know that. The main message was to keep your cool, focus on your behavior, not your kids'. And I do believe that most of the time, if we really look at our reasons for yelling, it does have to do with our own anxieties, not necessarily the kid's behavior. So, I have a new goal of focusing on my own behavior, really paying attention to More...

0 comments like

Sep 27, 2011

Erica rated it:

I really enjoyed this book. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is it could use some better editing. my daughter is only 10 weeks old so i cant really use anything in this book just yet but it makes alot od sense to me and I am happy I own it so I can revisit it if needed. I actually suggested my partner read this also.

Key points

1.Keep your cool - showing empathy- easier said then done
2.consistency with consequences- keep your word and follow through. provide structure
More...

0 comments like

Nov 14, 2010

Allison rated it:

I found this book to be not necessarily full of new wisdom or thoughts, but rather better in explaining ideas that have been around in various different parenting books.

It takes several different variations on parenting and successfully merges them in a philosophy of parenting rather than a "how-to" or as an "attitude adjuster" sort of handbook.

In many ways I found that to be irritating as well as beneficial. One of the things I like about a good handbook More...

0 comments like

Oct 30, 2011

Melissa rated it:

I read this at the advice of my mental health counseling supervisor. She counsels many adults and finds this series to be very helpful. And I agree, to an extent. I suppose what I'm saying is, there is nothing new here, not really. It is great advice for the layman, no doubt, and a healthy reminder of the mistakes we can make as parents. But, I do believe this is pop psychology at its best, so I suppose I am a bit snobby about it. I wish there had been more scientific evidence noted with the ide More...

0 comments like

Sep 22, 2009

Pam rated it:

I tend to not read a whole lot of parenting books as so many are written so as to make me feel like a failure when I can't live up to the superparent standards they have set. After one too many power struggles in our house, however, I picked this book up, knowing that something needed to change. I liked the premise - change the one thing you have control over: yourself and how you react to the situation. The book did not disappoint. It was filled with explanations as to why what we're curre More...

0 comments like

Jan 04, 2011

Tawny rated it:

Favorite lines:
1. "Your number one leadership role in the family is that of a calming authority" (7).
2. "Emotional reactivity is our worst enemy when it comes to having great relationships" (14).
3. "To be 'in charge' as a parent means inspiring your children to motivate themselves" (29).
4. "The ultimate goal of parenting is to launch our children into an adulthood where they are self-directed, decisive, and responsible people" (70).
More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 06, 2009

Shevonne rated it:

I just finished the "Screamfree Parenting," and I want to recommend it to all parents. It kind of reminded me of a "Solo Partner" for parents where it teaches you to not focus so much on your children and instead on yourself and your actions. I picked this up when I found myself resorting back to yelling if the kids were listening or were just being plain rotten. I had kicked the habit of doing that, and I didn't want to pick it up again. Checking out my Amazon recommend More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 07, 2011

Tammy rated it:

I liked the writing style of this author but I didn't really get anything from the book that I can apply with my 8-year-old.

He said, "Our biggest struggle as parents is with our own emotional reactivity." I'd never thought of it that way, but it's certainly true for me.

Another thing he said that I agreed with is, "If you come to rely on your ability to control others, you are destined for frustration and misery. All they have to do is say no, and you're More...

0 comments like

Apr 13, 2010

Belinda rated it:

This book was very helpful in recognizing that it is important to allow natural consequences to have their place in your discipline plan. It's important to resist the urge to use "I told you so" parentingand to demand they do things your way or the high way. This book is helping me instill the freedom my kids need to learn from natural consequences. It requires a lot of verbal tongue holding on my part, but it is going to be good for us all in the long run.

We could see More...

1 comment like

Jan 29, 2008

Drew rated it:

A very decent book that essentially is a kind of dumbed down version of buddhism without mentioning Buddha. Runkel councils parents to focus on themselves before focusing on the children, by using the notion that you can't love anyone until you fully love yourself.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 05, 2009

Lisa rated it:

just like every parent, I like to read up on what other parents say about being a relaxed, calm parent and how to raise a good kid. So far, Hal doesn't have much to say. He quotes a lot of parenting movies (yes, we've all seen them). He throws in God and The Creator a lot (yes, he's religious, what does that have to do with good parenting or anything related to scream-free parenting?)
He's supposed to be a family therapist and he's got two toddlers of his own. All I've picked up is that More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

May 23, 2008

Megan rated it:

This is a good book with some great tips on keeping control of your reactions and emotions towards your children. As most self-help and parenting books tend to be, it is a bit redundant but hey we learn by repetition, right??

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 22, 2008

Jani rated it:

I'm not a huge fan of the title ("screamfree"...it's a little embarrassing to be carrying this around :) ) but I am a huge fan of the book. One of my top 10 (maybe top 5) parenting books.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 10, 2012

Kimberly rated it:

This book was pretty good. How to control yourself and your reactions instead of letting your emotions control you. The beginning first third of the book kind of annoyed me. Maybe it was the order it was written. About focusing on yourself, giving your children space, backing off and I was thinking this is not a good recipe for parenting. But it does sweep full circle and goes into consequences and responsibility towards the end. It's not really anything new but good reminders for when you lose More...

0 comments like

Jan 21, 2010

Lm rated it:

I like the concepts outlined in this book and definitely came away with ideas of how to improve myself as a parent, but I think "revolutionary" is pushing it a bit, as much of the premise seems common sense. What would have really made this book more helpful to me is specific examples of how to do deal with problem behavior especially when in public when the concern is not only for teaching your child appropriate behavior, but being respectful to other people. When my toddler frustr More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 30, 2011

Amandalynn rated it:

This was and easy to read book it only took me 3 sittings to finish but I wasn't overly impressed. It had some really great insight and I had some "aha" moments. I was a bit bothered by how much he emphasized giving children their own "space" but when I was able to equate it to allowing them room to practice their free agency it was easier to swallow. One of my biggest annoyances in reading it was that he would tell a story to illustrate his point and he almost never finis More...

0 comments like

Jul 06, 2007

Deanna rated it:

A pretty good parenting book. Principles are all good, but how you are supposed to execute them was a little vague. Good in combination with some other books.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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