Khaya: Dr. Ginott, I have so many feelings about your book. It鈥檚 hard for me to sort them all out.
Dr. Ginott: You鈥檙e confused and you don鈥檛 know where to start. You feel many different things.
Khaya: Yes! I have friends who swear by you and your methods. They think you鈥檙e great.
Dr. Ginott: Khaya, evaluative words like 鈥済reat鈥� do not represent helpful praise. Praise should deal only with the person鈥檚 efforts and accomplishments, not with his character and personality attributes.
Khaya: Oh. So I guess it would be more accurate to say that your books have helped my friends develop a philosophy of parenting that seems to work for them.
Dr. Ginott: You have reframed your words to be a more specific, and therefore helpful and effective form of praise. From my words just now you may infer, 鈥淚鈥檝e caught on!鈥� and feel pretty good about yourself. This is what effective praise does.
Khaya: I guess I sort of see that. I鈥檓 struggling, though, with a broader question. Do you think your philosophy, well-intentioned though it might be, may result in whiny, entitled children?
Dr. Ginott: You are concerned that children whose feelings are reflected back to them by their parents may be whinier. Can you explain what you mean?
Khaya: I remember my friend鈥檚 four-year-old whining at her, 鈥淚 want that RIGHT NOW.鈥� And her response was, 鈥淚t must be hard to want something right now.鈥�
Dr. Ginott: So you feel that your friend鈥檚 empathetic response to her child encouraged the child to whine more?
Khaya: I mean, I do wonder that. Although maybe I鈥檓 just jealous. I have trouble being that nice when my child鈥檚 whining is getting on my nerves.
Dr. Ginott: So you鈥檙e feeling some self-doubt about your own parenting and wondering whether that鈥檚 what鈥檚 causing this reaction.
Khaya: Yes, although I also think it鈥檚 important for parents to be authentic, isn鈥檛 it? And for kids to receive authentic feedback on their behavior?
Dr. Ginott: You think my approach feels fake, perhaps scripted. Yes?
Khaya: Yes. I mean, it鈥檚 definitely kinder and gentler than yelling at a child or putting him down, and I give you credit for sensitizing parents to that. But Jean Twenge鈥檚 book 鈥淕eneration Me鈥� makes me wonder whether we are overly focused on kids鈥� self-esteem and actually doing them a disservice by sanitizing all our feedback to them. Our focus on developing our children鈥檚 self-esteem may come at the expense of working on their self-control, e.g., encouraging them to stop whining.
Dr. Ginott: Khaya, I will speak plainly now. I am, after all, not my actual self but merely a projection you are using to serve as a foil for your review. You can only guess what I would say.
Khaya: Yes, that鈥檚 true.
Dr. Ginott: So this is not necessarily how I would have responded, but here鈥檚 an attempt. I hear your question about whether responding empathically as opposed to in a genuinely irritated way fosters whining rather than self-control. It is my belief that my approach, properly applied, need not foster whining. I believe it is entirely possible to first reflect the child鈥檚 feelings and then follow up with a statement about the need for the child to use a more palatable tone. And the tone of that statement may be as firm as necessary.
Khaya: In an ideal world, maybe. What I see, though, is that many of my friends鈥� kids seem happier but a heck of a lot whinier than we were in my day. When I was growing up, I learned quickly that whining got on my parents鈥� nerves and was cured of the habit. And also that I simply couldn't have everything I wanted, and that I had to suck it up rather than expecting infinite consolation for every setback.
Dr. Ginott: And do you feel your upbringing was superior?
Khaya: Not exactly. But I often wonder whether the generation we鈥檙e raising now is truly better off. Maybe today鈥檚 parents are a little too nice for their children鈥檚 good.
Dr. Ginott: Well to be honest, Khaya, I wrote this book a long time ago. Perhaps it is a bit dated. In my day, I believe parents needed to hear this message. As to whether a different message is needed today, I cannot say.
Khaya: No offense, Dr. Ginott, but many aspects of this book were indeed dated. Freudian developmental concepts stated as absolutes, and much of the discussion about sex roles and mothers and fathers for example. But in fairness to you, I think you had a lot of good ideas.
Dr. Ginott: So you did like some things.
Khaya: Oh, definitely! I believe your book was groundbreaking in its day. You taught parents to discipline their children in a way that respected them as human beings. I also loved the book鈥檚 thoroughness 鈥� you cover a wide range of relevant topics, including self-defeating parenting patterns, teaching manners, teaching responsibility and independence, setting limits, anxiety in children, and more. Much of what you say is actually very helpful. And most of all, you did inspire me to work more on my parenting 鈥� even if I still have a ways to go.
Dr. Ginott: So you liked the book overall and hope to use it to improve your parenting.
Ok. First of all, I AM NOT PREGNANT. (Nor do I have children.)
Good, glad we cleared that up. So why am I reading a parenting book, you might ask? Well, one of my main self-improvement goals for the past few years has been to improve my communication skills, especially with relation to conflict resolution and emotions.
This book was mentioned in an advice column that has been entertaining me recently ("Dear Prudence" from Slate Magazine). The concepts mentioned in the book intrigued me because they seemed to align with some things I have discovered, like that a fight often cannot progress or be resolved until the feelings are addressed somehow.
This book really crystallized my half-formed theories on communication, emotions, and conflict resolution, and suddenly it all makes sense. It was a quick, fascinating read. Just substitute the word "child" with the word "human" and all of these principles and techniques apply to adults as well! They give great examples of our typical impulsive reactions in certain situations, and examples of more effective ways of communicating.
I've already started applying the techniques to my coworkers, clients, friends and family. First of all, it's amazing how WRONG I've been communicating for so long! I'm very prone to preaching and evaluative praise/criticism! I'd already figured out nagging doesn't really work, but I've realized I just over-explain and preach and talk about what we "should" do too much. Get to the point, lady! People don't generally need explanations unless they ask for one. I over-explain to justify my point but often a justification is unnecessary.
But it's amazing how effective the techniques are when applied even clumsily by an amateur! I've already gotten surprising results just by carefully mirroring emotions without judgement or blame. I've had casual conversations become suddenly deep and meaningful when that wouldn't have happened before. It feels odd at first to just mirror, a little contrived and manipulative, but all skills feel contrived at first until one has more practice and experience with them. And the pleasure and relief my mirroring brought my companions was very rewarding. That was always my goal before, but who knew I didn't really even need to do or say that much in order to bring that relief. I'm becoming a better listener!
Anyway, I recommend everyone everywhere read this book if you want to become a better, more caring and compassionate person and communicator.
Words are the tools we use to interact with others, and they can cause great emotional harm or nurturing depending on how we use them. I'm learning how to express my true emotions and feelings without upsetting others, and it's very freeing and rewarding! I used to be scared to discuss angry feelings because of the inevitable conflict that would arise, and I was starting to develop a nasty temper. Now I feel I'm developing a much better way of expressing my negative feelings.
No parenting book is perfect, but I can honestly say that this is the first book that has helped me change my behavior in less than a week of reading it. It deals more with psychology and understanding the basis of why we should treat our children (and all people) a certain way. I think the behavior change came very naturally because I understood my daughter's emotions so much better within a few chapters. This book comes highly recommended and is helping me in more relationships than one.
I just have to add, though, there are things I definitely don't agree with in the slightest when it comes to certain values suggested in the later chapters of the book. Just have to throw some of it out, but it doesn't mean that the book is not worthwhile or the principles unhelpful.
Reading a book on parenting is the easy part but applying its principles is quite another. Yet with this book, I could start applying Ginotte's techniques from the moment I started reading and I found them to be extremely effective. I now find it easier to communicate with my two-year old and in particular, to handle her emotional outbursts in a more mature and empathetic way. The book is full of practical advice and real-life examples and is very easy to read, especially for an exhausted mom. Between Parent and Child is a wonderful tool to help you become a better, more empathetic and effective parent.
Haim Ginott (wish I knew how to pronounce his name) was a mentor to John Gottman (Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child) and Adele Faber (How to Talk so Kids will Listen...) and they drew heavily from his early work. The book is full of basic parenting gems, but I didn't necessarily agree with all of his suggestions and some of his examples weren't very realistic. I would recommend the Gottman and Faber & Mazlish books first.
This book I read in one of my child/family classes in college. This is my favorite of all the texts I read in this area of study. I highly recommend this book to every parent! Easy and fast reading.
cok cok iyi bir rehber oldu臒una inand谋臒谋m bir kitap. kitapta orneklenen diyaloglar,alternatif oneriler hem yol gosterici hem de uygulanabilir. Hatta 9 ya艧谋ndaki k谋z谋m bile arada sayfalar谋n谋 karistiriyor. bu t眉r kitaplari okuduktan sonra yazilanlarim ne kadarini uygulayabilirim sorusu insanin kafasina tak谋l谋yor. Bu sebeple, bir defa okunup bir koseye birakilacak bir kitap degil. ara ara okunup, notlar alinacak bir kitap. 枚te yandan, duygulari gostermenin ve dile getirmenin ayip oldugu T眉rk toplumunda, bu duygulari anladigimizi belirten cumleler kurarken zorlanacagimizi ve kimo yerde de bu cumlelerim egreti duracagini dusunuyorum. Ancak, kendi davranislarimizi duzelttigimizde cocugumuzun davran谋艧larinin da duzelecegini bu kitapta da belirtiliyor. bu sebeple onerileri denemeye deger buluyorum.
Revised and Updated by DR. ALICE GINNOT & DR. H. WALLACE GODDART 鈥淏etween Parent and Child鈥� Published by Three Rivers Press
Highly recommended for parents in difficult periods of 鈥減arent-child鈥� relations. This book gives you short, informative tools and examples for easier problem solving.
鈥淒on鈥檛 be a parent, be a human being who is a parent鈥�.
鈥淧arents need to learn to respond to their children as they do to guests鈥�.
鈥淟ove is not enough. Insight is insufficient. Good parents need skill鈥�.
鈥淲hen children feel understood, their loneliness and hurt diminish. When children are understood, their love for parent is deepened. A parents sympathy serves as emotional first aid for bruised feelings鈥�.
鈥淩espond to Children鈥檚 Feelings, Not Their Behavior鈥�.
鈥淔eelings must be dealt with before behavior can be improved鈥�.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book had some good points, but it was quite preachy, and used "should" language a lot. It is the predecessor to book: Raising an Emotionally Intellegent Child. It was the reason they decided to do all the research for that book. It has good points on how to relate with your children. Some of it seems somewhat out of touch. Some of it does not fit with my value system (for example, how permissive we should be with our children about premarital sex.) And I know that if I was in the middle of raising kids this book would definitely cause a lot of guilt. I do like what he says about stating emotions for children instead of asking them to come up with the labels. And the main thing that's important to me from the past 3 parenting books I've read is being empathic to our children. Putting ourselves in their shoes, realizing what a big deal these things are. Instead of berating or belittling, we should try to be understanding and uplifting. (now there I go with the shoulds) Overall, good ideas that challenged my paradigms, but that was what also made it difficult. I couldn't just all out believe, I had to sort and decipher what I wanted to change about my ideas and what I wanted to hold on to.
Easy but rewarding read. I repeatedly read simple pieces of advice in this book and thought, 鈥渨ow, that makes perfect sense, but it is the opposite of what I would have thought to do on my own.鈥� For those gems, I am deeply grateful and am sure I will return to this over the years. Yet for all it鈥檚 strength in the communication department, a lack of robust morals leaves much to be desired in very important areas. A very loose sexual morality inclined me to distrust some of his pieces on more general discipline.
I had high expectations for this book. I studied Dr. Ginott's ideas as they pertained to education, and agreed generally w/ his approach when it came to the teachers/student relationship. The first few chapters were fine. I agree that we should praise children for their efforts; not the finished product, I agree that children tune us out when we sermonize or lecture and that anyone is incapable of truly communicating when emotions are highly charged. Ginott also talks about the importance of kids feeling our empathy. He gives some examples in dialogs. Some were helpful, but I found most to be overly simplistic or structured. I was thinking, "What parent and child out there has EVER talked to each other like that?" And then there were approaches that I completely disagreed with. For example, Ginott suggests that when a parent and child go to another home to visit that the parent needs to be the child's emotional support in a different environment; not the enforcer of rules. So the parent should inform the host that "this is your home, and your rules. Please feel free to reprimand my child." WHATEVER. First of all, as a host, I don't feel comfortable reprimanding someone else's kid - that's the parent's responsibility. Secondly, my idea of reprimanding my be totally different from someone else's idea. It's too gray an area. But the chapter that had me incredulous and disgusted was the one about how to approach sex and human values. First, he starts with the assumption that the average teen has sexual relationships. It is important, according to Ginott, that the teen feel safe in talking w/ his/her parent about this aspect of their life so parents should not moralize or judge their children. Read the sample conversation between father and 16 yr old son on pg. 176. I was horrified! And also bothered by how casually Ginott approaches premarital sex. I sincerely hope that his views aren't held by the parents of my kids' future friends and classmates. Anyway, I noticed that several of my friends have this on their to-read shelves. My advice would be not to waste your time. Oh, and please refer me to some better parenting books!
I have often wondered what is the "right way" to respond to a child who is misbehaving and/or upset. Dr. Ginott answered my questions -- plus the many more that comes with having a child.
Dr. Ginott teaches us how to communicate not just with our children, but also with other adults. This has been a very eye-opening experience to learn that the way I communicate with others, especially those who are closest to me, may not be the most effective. Dr. Ginott has a great way of teaching through example in his book.
It's a great read and a book that I use constantly. It also makes a very good babyshower gift!
This book is among the classics and for good reason. Dr. Ginott provided insight on respecting a child as a person and training the child to deal with their own emotions. I have gained insight on responding not only to children but also adults in a more responsive way. I am looking forward to making use of with of his processes in how I respond to my child and also my wife. Short read and powerful in content.
just giving this one a solid three stars 鈥� it was neither amazing nor awful!! things I appreciated: an approach to parenting that recognizes parents need help in learning how to be effective with their children, and a general idea/understanding that children are to be respected as individuals, AND that it is the parents鈥� responsibility to foster this respect in their home. this (contrary to popular belief......) does not mean letting a child do as they wish all the time, but acknowledging their wishes and feelings, establishing boundaries, and STICKING TO THEM even when it is not easy and tensions are high and emotions are rampant.
things I did not appreciate: very little insight on what to do if your child does NOT respond perfectly and angelically to your efforts, like every example conversation plays out in this book..... and a lack of instruction on how to teach morality to children, ESPECIALLY in regards to sexuality. I would appreciate a Catholic (or at least Christian) view on this parenting style and how to teach children that right and wrong do exist, and what it means to live a Christian life.
(the end of the book does mention a few examples of what to do if a child does not respond well to a parent鈥檚 effort, and lists resources for further reading should specific problems arise. I did appreciate this a lot! I just wish it was more interwoven into the book.)
overall though a very insightful read that I hope I will be able to remember in the midst of difficult moments 馃槵 and I liked that this approach to interacting with children is founded on love and respect.
'Why do children lie? Sometimes they lie because they are not allowed to tell the truth?'
'Politeness must be taught politely.'
'Labeling is disabling.'
"What is the goal of parenting? It's to help a child grow up to be a decent human being, a mensch, a person with compassion, commitment, and caring. How does one go about humanizing a child? Only by using humane methods, by recognizing that the process is the method, that ends do not justify the means, and that in our attempt to be effective in getting children to behave, ,we do not damage them emotionally."
Parenting is a skill. It's about knowing certain things and mastering them.
How to talk to your child - perhaps nothing is more crucial than that in parenting. This book offers wisdom for the topic, and it is written in way that is extremely pleasant to read.
Definitely the best book on parenting that I鈥檝e came across. Highly recommended to all parents. Especially relevant for parents who have children the age of three to twelve.
Very quick to read and readable, with lots of useful advice and insights. Must have been quite revolutionary in its time. In 2023, I feel like a lot of concepts can still be applied, though of course as with everything it is good to always be critical about what you're reading. Covers a lot of topics in interesting ways, recommended!