Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say!: 7 Simple Strategies to Help Our Children Along the Path to Purpose and Possibility

by Glenda Hatchett

"We live in a time of tremendous uncertainty," Judge Glenda Hatchett says. "Our children are constantly assaulted by all kinds of negative impulses and images that can pull them from the right road." Parents have it tough. Kids have it tough, too. And few people are in a better position to guide readers through these tough times than Judge Glenda Hatchett. As chief presiding judge of one of the largest juvenile court systems in the country, she gained a front-row perspective on the hot-button social issues of our time -- including drug and alcohol abuse, truancy, date rape, and school violence. As presiding judge on the hit television series Judge Hatchett, she continues to build bridges between parents and their lost, angry, and alienated teens. And, as a parent, she's turned her professional experiences to personal advantage, helping her own children navigate through some of the more difficult dilemmas facing young people today. Now, using her extensive experience as a judge and a parent, Judge Hatchett shares with readers seven simple strategies. Hard-won and heartfelt, these strategies show you how to become more involved in your child's life and maintain a strong relationship. And they can ensure that your child is happy, healthy, productive, and motivated. Throughout the book, Judge Hatchett uses concrete examples and illuminating anecdotes, all told with her trademark verve and passion. Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say! is an essential tool for parents (and grandparents) and a compelling guidepost on what it takes to raise safe, smart, and successful children even in these uncertain times.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judge Glenda Hatchett, who presides over an eponymous daytime television courtroom, wants to protect children and adolescents so they can grown into estimable adults, and this work captures her forceful, occasionally strident, opinions on how to do so. Her early work as a chief presiding judge in a Georgia juvenile court, as well as her experience as the single mother of two sons, shapes the no-nonsense advice she dispenses to parents here. Her seven strategies encompass such basic wisdom as "listen carefully," "expect greatness" and "cheer" for your kids.

Hatchett and collaborator Paisner have a knack for using approachable, straightforward language: while their advice may not be groundbreaking, it's effectively presented. Readers will have to overlook Hatchett's seeming insistence on a wealth-based concept of success, as well as the faint whiff of smug superiority that permeates the book. Instead, they should focus on the short sections of autobiography that reveal how Hatchett's devoted parents inspired their daughter to move beyond the racism of the American South to achieve great things. Somewhere on that path, Hatchett became both a television star and an advocate for children. When Hatchett writes, "I've seen too many kids in my courtroom who don't have the first idea that they're part of something bigger than just themselves," and goes on to present powerful examples of kids gone wrong, then gone right again, most readers will forget her occasional self-congratulation and be moved to do more for children.

Fans of the show, be warned that there is little here on that topic, but the impassioned calls to better parenting are worth a read.

"We live in a time of tremendous uncertainty," Judge Glenda Hatchett says. "Our children are constantly assaulted by all kinds of negative impulses and images that can pull them from the right road."

Parents have it tough. Kids have it tough, too. And few people are in a better position to guide readers through these tough times than Judge Glenda Hatchett. As chief presiding judge of one of the largest juvenile court systems in the country, she gained a front-row perspective on the hot-button social issues of our time -- including drug and alcohol abuse, truancy, date rape, and school violence. As presiding judge on the hit television series Judge Hatchett, she continues to build bridges between parents and their lost, angry, and alienated teens. And, as a parent, she's turned her professional experiences to personal advantage, helping her own children navigate through some of the more difficult dilemmas facing young people today.

Now, using her extensive experience as a judge and a parent, Judge Hatchett shares with readers seven simple strategies. Hard-won and heartfelt, these strategies show you how to become more involved in your child's life and maintain a strong relationship. And they can ensure that your child is happy, healthy, productive, and motivated. Throughout the book, Judge Hatchett uses concrete examples and illuminating anecdotes, all told with her trademark verve and passion.

Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say! is an essential tool for parents (and grandparents) and a compelling guidepost on what it takes to raise safe, smart, and successful children even in these uncertain times.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good! for first time parents of children about to enter their teen years. I highly recommend. Easy read. Good title!