Download Smart Discipline(R): Fast, Lasting Solutions for Your Child's Self-Esteem and Your Peace of Mind eBook

This book is meant to be used, and it is easy to implement the author's guidelines. This book is respectful and compassionate to the kids and their parents, offering tools for a parent to learn more about their child and to find ways to praise them and help them appreciate their "areas of brilliance." It also offers very easy tools for establishing clear and fair guidelines and consequences, tailored to each child's needs. I use the principles I learned from this book every day, and they work. The kid knows what is expected of him, and what to expect if he goofs. And instead of threatening your kid all day, you just dole out an x whenever he breaks a rule. Imagine, no more threats, and yet the kid gets some leeway because he doesn't get privileges removed until he breaks the rules three more times. As a mother of three, I can tell you it really works.

I'm a counselor and this is #1 recommendation I have for parents whose children are not listening at once. Children AND parents need step-by-step guidance when it comes to discipline and this is the best book that assess your child's problem and guide how to make discipline charts on their own. If you constantly try this method w/o overwriting what you said, you'll see the difference.

This works great, and you don't have to wield the belt or the wooden spoon. I have used this plan for a child and 3 grandchildren.

Great ideas for raising kids. Wish I had it sooner.

The book seems good...just hope it works! It was a quick and easy read. The method appears simple and easy to follow.

Great!

This discipline system used along with the Love and Logic method are finally teaching our kids self-discipline and the principle of choices and consequences. At first I thought it was too negative, but it can be positive if you remember to write all the good things they do on their chart. And giving spontaneous, unexpected rewards if they're being extra good. Also it's so great how we can use this from age 3 to 18!! We are sticking with Smart Discipline until our kids are old enough to move out!

The smart discipline in this book in reality is not smart at all - it is shallow and blunt. It is superficially effective because it is based on idea to restrict privileges (like playing) so your child will be forced to do something you want them to do (like homework). Like 1-2-3 method this one is based on greater pain so a child will always choose less painful task like making homework. There is no problem to make the child compliant, some parents beat, other restrict watching tv - but how happy is a child going to be since everything is caused by controlling parent and greater pain? The author advices that you should always check your children even if you trust them 100% - this reveals that the whole behavioral construct is superficial and children only seek first opportunity to revert to old behavior. The author confesses that he had problems with his children himself. But somehow in short time he became an "expert" and now is giving lectures about this method and sells books. All this is way too superficial. Here is no mention about connection with your child, about values, about love, about giving more and more responsibilities - only what privileges you are going to lose if you don't rigidly comply. Is it really smart? How playing on computer is related to cutting the loan? It is not related, it is artificial. There is a chapter about reinforcing beliefs - but his approach tends to be skewed towards ordinary optimism. Again - somewhat superficially effective but on the long run I am afraid may make some children believe that they can do something (or are somebody) while in reality they can't, or they are not what they are lead to believe after following some advices. Still children like that have better chances in life than those who don't believe in themselves - but I would expect much more than XIX century amateur ideas from the book written in XXI century by a "professional".

Even the method itself is wrongly applied by the author, because his approach is to give few warnings before taking away the privilege. Therefore some children when they know they can come late 3 times before they lose the computer for few days - they come late 2 times on purpose and they still have the computer and during the weekend everything resets according to this charting method. Other swear, come late, don't do homework on Saturday- so only one day they are without tv. Other asked to go out with garbage answer: "just put x on the board" (meaning he is not going to do it). By the way- putting "x" is a thread.

Another author Robert MacKenzie writes about this and in my opinion he describes similar approach much better, with much deeper psychological understanding, and with automatically much better long term results. He will tell you how to apply the method in a constructive way, so it is never punitive, so the children will not be angry at you, so they will learn to take responsibility, so they will gain more self esteem instead of silent resentment. MacKenzie tells why the rules should be executed in 100% cases - the gravity doesn't work 2 times and then few times not, random reinforcement only reinforces bad behaviour. The rules should be connected to the activity. Koenig would say implicitly: "you can ride 2 times without a helmet before you lose tv for the weekend" while MacKenzie would tell the child after seeing him without helmet that he is not responsible enough yet to ride bike like that and therefore he will not ride the bike at all (until the next time). (The rule is always revealed before and is projected like neutral, external, not punitive, 100% rigid norm, not a wish of the parent which sometimes works, sometimes not ). This subtleties and many more decides how all this works and how psychologically affects the child. With "Smart Discipline" you can make very obedient child quite quickly - so if it is your the only goal go ahead and buy this book - you can threat your children with a gun with even greater success and quicker results as well. But if you are interested in raising psychologically well developed children you better read how MacKenzie wisely applies very similar method or read both. (sorry for mistakes, English in not my native language).