It's Never Too Soon to Discipline: A Low-Stress Program That Shows Parents How to Teach Good Behavior that will Last a Lifetime

by Ruth Peters

As a respected child psychologist and mom with more than twenty years' experience, Dr. Ruth Peters knows how quickly children-even those younger than two-can gain the upper hand in the parent-child relationship. Even in the earliest interactions with their children, parents can inadvertently encourage bad patterns of behavior and set the stage for future problems.

Dr. Peters outlines a behavior management system with clear, consistent, and fair rules that are connected to solid consequences and meaningful rewards. The book
* A smiley-face chart to help kids know what is expected of them
* Tips for using the system to handle socially inappropriate behavior (such as aggression, bossiness, and tantrums) and developmental issues (such as sleep problems and toilet training)
* A chapter on attention deficit disorder
* Specific advice for single parents and stepfamilies.

This parent-friendly, practical guide is the first step toward bringing order to every home.

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 1999

Reviews

[Witty · Rating 2 out of 5]

The whole book is based on the smiley face system, which IS a really good system. But there's little that delves into the psychology of a child, which I think is important to understand when trying to parent consciously, and other than the explanation of the system, I didn't find the book all that eye opening. Besides this, I found the story/suggestion to let an infant cry it out for 11 hours absolutely appalling.

Update: After reading this book, I tried putting the treat reward system into practice, and honestly hated it. The author suggests having a jar with 3 "treats" (stickers, pencils, etc.) for the child to earn by the end of the day. If the child is given warnings and disobeys, a treat is taken. The child receives whatever treats are left at the end of the day. I knew going into this system that rewarding behavior in this way is not recommended by the latest studies, but I decided to try it anyway. Long story short, it failed miserably for us, and it felt cheap and manipulative. I'd much rather teach my child to be obedient and respectful because he wants to be, not because he's afraid of what will happen if he doesn't. I've had much more success getting to the HEART of the child. As I said above, it's so important to understand child development and the psychology of the child when choosing methods of discipline that work for your family. The very simple smiley face system worked well for us at the time, but there are warnings against that sort of method as well.

TL;DR: There are better parenting books out there that explain WHY a child is doing what they are doing, and how you can connect with the child on an emotional level. This books went to Goodwill -- good riddance!

[Rob Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good insight on where your kids are at as the grow and how to deal with them very good advice and a good discipline program!