What do you think?
Rate this book
Dr. Sylvia Rimm's Smart Parenting: How to Raise a Happy, Achieving Child
In Dr. Sylvia Rimm's Smart Parenting, Dr. Sylvia Rimm, contributing correspondent for NBC's Today show and the host of a popular public radio call-in show, presents her remedy for preventing children's early "shut down" to learning by providing a comprehensive, down-to-earth guide for all parents who want their children to be confident, successful, and independent in meeting the challenges of the classroom and life.
Based on her twenty years of clinical experience working with families and the thousands of questions from concerned parents she has answered, Dr. Rimm shows that encouraging achievement in the home is often a difficult task and even the most experienced parents need a game plan. As Rimm argues, "Smart parent planning begins before birth and extends to young adulthood. Parents can't control their children's environment entirely, but they can set main directions that virtually assure achievement."
Just as Rimm's Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades has helped thousands of families overcome the problems of underachieving children, Dr. Sylvia Rimm's Smart Parenting will help many parents foster a home environment that encourages the desire to learn.
Most importantly, Dr. Rimm outlines the four basic principles for raising achieving children. Dr. Rimm shows parents how form a "united front" and avoid sending mixed messages; teach their children habits that encourage learning; set positive expectations by example and through direct praise; give children a sense of confidence without overempowering.
In addition, Rimm offers advice on dozens of topics, including how to improve your child's self-esteem through direct and indirect praise, selection of child-care providers, dealing with attention-deficit disorder and other learning disabilities, and test-taking tips for children with test anxiety.
In an era when variations of the traditional two-parent family, step-families, grandparent families, families with gay or lesbian parents, foster families, and single-parent families, have increasingly challenged parents to redefine their familial roles and parental strategies, Dr. Rimm offers a no-nonsense, compassionate plan for parents to raise happy children who love to learn.
Based on her twenty years of clinical experience working with families and the thousands of questions from concerned parents she has answered, Dr. Rimm shows that encouraging achievement in the home is often a difficult task and even the most experienced parents need a game plan. As Rimm argues, "Smart parent planning begins before birth and extends to young adulthood. Parents can't control their children's environment entirely, but they can set main directions that virtually assure achievement."
Just as Rimm's Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades has helped thousands of families overcome the problems of underachieving children, Dr. Sylvia Rimm's Smart Parenting will help many parents foster a home environment that encourages the desire to learn.
Most importantly, Dr. Rimm outlines the four basic principles for raising achieving children. Dr. Rimm shows parents how form a "united front" and avoid sending mixed messages; teach their children habits that encourage learning; set positive expectations by example and through direct praise; give children a sense of confidence without overempowering.
In addition, Rimm offers advice on dozens of topics, including how to improve your child's self-esteem through direct and indirect praise, selection of child-care providers, dealing with attention-deficit disorder and other learning disabilities, and test-taking tips for children with test anxiety.
In an era when variations of the traditional two-parent family, step-families, grandparent families, families with gay or lesbian parents, foster families, and single-parent families, have increasingly challenged parents to redefine their familial roles and parental strategies, Dr. Rimm offers a no-nonsense, compassionate plan for parents to raise happy children who love to learn.
- GenresParenting
330 pages, Hardcover
First published August 20, 1996
1 person is currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Sylvia B. Rimm
22 books5 followersDr. Sylvia Rimm’s nine years as a contributing correspondent to NBC’s Today Show and as a favorite personality on public radio make her a familiar child psychologist to many audiences.
Dr. Rimm is a psychologist, director of Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a clinical professor at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. Families come from all over the United States for help.
She has authored many books including How to Parent So Children Will Learn and Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades, both 2008 National Best Books award winners from USA Book News. In addition, Dr. Rimm has written Growing Up Too Fast: The Rimm Report on the secret Lives of America’s Middle Schoolers, Keys to Parenting the Gifted Child, Raising Preschoolers, See Jane Win®, How Jane Won, and See Jane Win for Girls.
See Jane Win®, a New York Times Bestseller, was featured on the Oprah Winfrey and Today shows and in People Magazine. Her book, Rescuing the Emotional Lives of Overweight Children, was a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Award. Many parents and educators seek Dr. Rimm’s help through her books, tapes, q-cards, and newsletters.
In her parenting column, Dr. Rimm answers hundreds of letters each year from parents and grandparents in her nationally syndicated column with Creators Syndicate.
Dr. Rimm speaks and publishes internationally on family and school approaches to guiding children toward achievement, parenting, and the lives of teenagers. She is a dynamic speaker who fascinates audiences, speaking on many topics, tailoring her educational talks to the special themes of the audience.
Dr. Rimm draws experience and inspiration from her wonderful husband; her very successful children: 2 daughters and 2 sons, and their spouses; and 9
Dr. Rimm's expertise on gifted children, parenting, families, teens and tweens, and many more topics, makes her an excellent psychologist, author, columnist and speaker.
Dr. Rimm is a psychologist, director of Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a clinical professor at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. Families come from all over the United States for help.
She has authored many books including How to Parent So Children Will Learn and Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades, both 2008 National Best Books award winners from USA Book News. In addition, Dr. Rimm has written Growing Up Too Fast: The Rimm Report on the secret Lives of America’s Middle Schoolers, Keys to Parenting the Gifted Child, Raising Preschoolers, See Jane Win®, How Jane Won, and See Jane Win for Girls.
See Jane Win®, a New York Times Bestseller, was featured on the Oprah Winfrey and Today shows and in People Magazine. Her book, Rescuing the Emotional Lives of Overweight Children, was a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Award. Many parents and educators seek Dr. Rimm’s help through her books, tapes, q-cards, and newsletters.
In her parenting column, Dr. Rimm answers hundreds of letters each year from parents and grandparents in her nationally syndicated column with Creators Syndicate.
Dr. Rimm speaks and publishes internationally on family and school approaches to guiding children toward achievement, parenting, and the lives of teenagers. She is a dynamic speaker who fascinates audiences, speaking on many topics, tailoring her educational talks to the special themes of the audience.
Dr. Rimm draws experience and inspiration from her wonderful husband; her very successful children: 2 daughters and 2 sons, and their spouses; and 9
Dr. Rimm's expertise on gifted children, parenting, families, teens and tweens, and many more topics, makes her an excellent psychologist, author, columnist and speaker.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 28, 2014
This was better than the other book of hers that I read last week. Nicely enough, I agreed with everything she had to say and already do/have implemented about 90% of it. Maybe I liked it because it validates my general parenting style/techniques (some of which are intuitive, some are learned from my own psychology background). I did learn a few tips.
I found her discussion on pg 33 about personal attention and natural consequences to be more motivating that tokens and rewards to be interesting. I have often remarked that one can't force someone to do something they don't want to do (and conversely one can't get someone to stop doing something they are highly motivated to do), but then I do tend to offer my kids rewards for accomplishments in an effort to motivate. Her argument made sense and reminded me of something I knew, but did not really implement well in my parenting. The inverted V of Love was a useful example to me personally as we struggle with middle school and growing responsibilities here.
I also like her position on ADHD having recently read Hallowell's stuff on ADHD and thinking it was shit (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), it was refreshing to have a psychologist reiterate the importance of behavioral changes (instead of medication) and the over diagnosis of ADHD. She also provided the NASP statement on ADHD as Appendix A.
She used some of the same examples over and over again (shy and overpraising list of words as well as the referential speaking were three especially egregious ones) and I am positive that 1/2-3/4 of a page were lifted from her other book (or were lifted from this one for that) in several places. Her examples were also often stilted and unbelievable. I also did not like the Q&A sections at the end of the chapters. These were repetitive and boring to read.
Overall it was a bunch of common-sense parenting tips. She has an approachable style and easy-to-read style, but is a bit repetitive to my taste.
I found her discussion on pg 33 about personal attention and natural consequences to be more motivating that tokens and rewards to be interesting. I have often remarked that one can't force someone to do something they don't want to do (and conversely one can't get someone to stop doing something they are highly motivated to do), but then I do tend to offer my kids rewards for accomplishments in an effort to motivate. Her argument made sense and reminded me of something I knew, but did not really implement well in my parenting. The inverted V of Love was a useful example to me personally as we struggle with middle school and growing responsibilities here.
I also like her position on ADHD having recently read Hallowell's stuff on ADHD and thinking it was shit (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), it was refreshing to have a psychologist reiterate the importance of behavioral changes (instead of medication) and the over diagnosis of ADHD. She also provided the NASP statement on ADHD as Appendix A.
She used some of the same examples over and over again (shy and overpraising list of words as well as the referential speaking were three especially egregious ones) and I am positive that 1/2-3/4 of a page were lifted from her other book (or were lifted from this one for that) in several places. Her examples were also often stilted and unbelievable. I also did not like the Q&A sections at the end of the chapters. These were repetitive and boring to read.
Overall it was a bunch of common-sense parenting tips. She has an approachable style and easy-to-read style, but is a bit repetitive to my taste.
January 1, 2009
I know, not a thriller, but it is a good resource book. Reminds me of the Love and Logic series. Very similar. She gives good, solid points on how to deal with your kids on certain issues to avoid the power struggle and later underachievement.
January 23, 2008
this is a really good book that telling you the smart and efficient way to teach your children.
September 7, 2008
I read this many years ago but the message has stuck. Teach your kids how to be responsible for themselves.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews