Loving Without Spoiling: And 100 Other Timeless Tips for Raising Terrific Kids

by Catherine Whitney and Nancy Samalin

Book Overview

One of the nation's most influential parenting authorities shares her winning tips for raising great kids

"Takes parents well beyond discipline and provides lasting lessons in raising caring, confident kids." --Ann Pleshette Murphy, parenting correspondent for "ABC News" and "Mother Know-How" columnist for Family Circle

Raising well-behaved, considerate children requires balancing discipline with love and humor. Nancy...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 007142492X
• ISBN13: 9780071424929
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Exactly what the title says...and it works!

I read this book a few months ago and immediately took it to heart. It absolutely changed the way I think about discipline. The most interesting thing is that recently, I picked it up to browse through again, and was amazed at all the thoughts from the book that I have adopted as my own. So many tips I've used...so many anecdotes I've repeated to friends...so much GOOD STUFF that I've internalized since I read it the first time. My husband read the book, too. He has for the past 4 years been a believer in the style of discipline promoted by John Rosemond: very authoritarian and a strict disciplinarian of the old school, "just like your grandmother." This style has become very popular lately, as American children seem to be more insolent, violent and disrespectful than ever before. A reversion to that old-time discipline seems, at first blush, to be the answer. Although we certainly want our children to be well-behaved and respectful, we also want them to be happy and well-adjusted, not sneaky and defiant. After reading Samalin's thoughtful book, my husband and I have decided that we agree with Rosemond's goals, but not his methods. Samalin will give you options, and ways to be an authoritative parent, instead of an authoritarian one. THAT INSIGHT ALONE IS WORTH THE PRICE OF THIS BOOK, and there are many more.I've never found one parenting book that has all the answers. In fact, the longer I'm a parent, the more convinced I am that there are no clear-cut instructions on discipline that are right for every child. But this book -- with its wonderful anecdotes, sample dialogues and calm, pragmatic suggestions -- is the one book I recommend above all others. I certainly wish my parents had read it.

Oodles of Quick Read Tips That Really Work!

I am a fan of Nancy Samalin's positive discipline techniques that are based on Dr. Hiam Ginott's philosophy of teaching kids right from wrong. I love this book because it covers so many issues and so many tips and techniques to try with children of all ages-- tots through teens. I don't have the time nor the desire to read an entire book cover to cover that only addresses one subject. I just want the "how to's" in a nutshell. This book is arranged so that I may easily consult it--even in the heat of the moment, when I 'm at a loss of what to do instead of my knee-jerk automatic reactions of yelling, threatening, criticizing and nagging that simply aren't working anyway. I find that I get more cooperation from my kids (including my husband) when I am able to first change my approach. I realize that it is often HOW I say "it" that will determine whether I get the compliance I'm after. I would also like to highly recommend a wonderful pocketsized paperback based on the very same philosophy. So, if you have preschoolers like me, "The Pocket Parent" is written exclusively for parents and teachers of 2's, 3's, 4's, and 5's and is formatted alphabetically by behavior ( such as bad words, biting, gimmes, hitting, lying, whining, etc.) These two books offer many, many options about how communication can change for the better, still enforcing the necessary limits, while responding with understanding and empathy for the child's feelings. This approach includes many sensible, humane ways to solve problems that often require quite a bit of practice. I feel like I'm a much better parent when I am able to use this philosophy.

BookSmart Review

For over fifteen years our company, BookSmart, has been the primary book supplier and consultant for the majority of independent schools in NYC and southern CT. We cannot keep Nancy's Samalin's book Loving Without Spoiling in stock. The response has been simply overwhelming. Parents and teachers have been thrilled with Samalin's practical, straight-forward approach to communicating with children. This book is fantastic and a must for parents and teachers!

Loving with Consciousness

LOVING WITHOUT SPOILING is written with enough humor to help the pages to turn, and tied to common place occurances and reality enough to make it immediately useful. Nancy's observations and suggestions coupled with her insight in this book - works well with children, and is easily expandable to use with other adults and even pets. Having read her book I then had the opportunity to hear her speak in person and found her and her Workshops to be phenominal tools.

Great reference book for most frequent parenting dilemmas!

I have recently had the pleasure of reading Nancy's latest book, Loving Without Spoiling. For those parenting skills that I know and use, it was nice to reinforce their value and hone them further. For those difficult areas that need improvement, I found the book to be a gift. It offers help in an easily disgestible format. The book is arranged like a reference book, which makes it easy to pick up and find information quickly and efficiently. The subtitles are easy to understand and practical in their applications. I recommend this book to all those parents who have both busy schedules as well as a desire to improve their skills at their most important role - that of parent to their children!