Victoria VanTassel's recent posts

Recent public discussion board posts (showing 1-10 of 10).

Broome Public Library in Binghamton does not have it. I don't think Endicott one has it either. B & N and Waldenbooks do not have it in stock as well. :(

I can certainly relate to the topic of Buy Buy Baby. Our 2.5 y.o. is starting to demand the McDonald's c**p she sometimes accidentally sees in TV commercials. It's appalling to me. However, she also has many educational toys and videos, carefully selected by me and I can attest to the fact that most (not all) of them were actually very beneficial to her development. I'd be interested to see whether or not I'd agree with what the author has to say on the subject.

I've read most of his books and really liked them. Some were easier to read than others. I personally found "How children fail" to be the easiest to read, and for someone who is not super familiar with the whole issue of how school affects a learner it may be a good book to start with as it introduces the issue and leads nicely to his other books. That's just my opinion though.

Maybe something by John Caldwell Holt? Like "How Children Fail"? It's reviewed on Amazon. It is an eye opener, but is more about child development and education than anything else, so it might not be completely in line with this group's interests...

I'm with you on all of that, Jenna.

That's what it's about :). He just presents all different ways that peer orientation can impact a child so the parent can be ready to look for these things. I didn't have trouble with that though and found it to be quite an entertaining read, but everyone is different. However, toward the end he gets to some good practical points. So just hang in there. ;)

I just got my copy and am 1/4 way through it. It's awesome! I had really hard time finding the book. I was looking for instant gratification and wanted to just get it at a store. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that none of the Borders or Barnes and Nobles as well as none of the other smaller book stores between Upstate, NY and Washington, DC had it. I finally got it in a university Barnes and Noble an hour away from my house. (I was driving from Washington, DC to NY and stopped at Wilkes-Barre) Anyway, it sounds like our parents (my mom at least) knew this stuff and treated us just as he says you should. Pretty wise. My mom raised 3 very healthy kids, so this stuff must be working. It is sad that age-old wisdom passed from generation to generation of women is being disregarded and lost these days in lieu of toxic medicines. The book actually makes me appreciate our family doctor more, as he is just like the family doctors Mendelsohn describes - very personal and hands off.

I bet you'll really enjoy it. I finished it in 2 days as it was a very interesting and easy read. I think it's a must read for all parents that care about their children and their future. Maybe if more people read it our society would have less views that destroy families and separate children from their parents. I've tried to offer my book to loan to some of my friends and family, but most of them were not interested as some of them prefer to read stuff on how to not let you child take over your life and how to wean the baby early and other such stuff. Lol. Too bad. They are my friends and family and I love them dearly even though they don't always share my taste in books. ;)

This is one of my favorite parenting books out there. It totally explains how in our modern society for a variety of reasons not beyond our control families get eroded, parents are unable or unwilling to parent their kids and the kids are allowed and even encouraged to parent each other and become attached to their peers instead of their family. Of course, the consequences are disastrous and result in such things as difficult and troubled teens, kids' suicide or killings among other problems. The book also gives you a good idea of how to avoid all this with your child or how to correct any problems that might have been already created. This was one of the few books that strongly influenced our family's decision to home school our children. I think this is a must read for every parent.

This is one of my favorite parenting books out there. It totally explains how in our modern society for a variety of reasons not beyond our control families get eroded, parents are unable or unwilling to parent their kids and the kids are allowed and even encouraged to parent each other and become attached to their peers instead of their family. Of course, the consequences are disastrous and result in such things as difficult and troubled teens, kids' suicide or killings among other problems. The book also gives you a good idea of how to avoid all this with your child or how to correct any problems that might have been already created. This was one of the few books that strongly influenced our family's decision to home school our children. I think this is a must read for every parent.