Drawing the Line: Ten Steps to Constructive Discipline--And Achieving a Great Relationship with Your Kids

by Michael J. Weiss, Sheldon H. Wagner PhD, Susan Goldberg

In the bestselling tradition of "1-2-3 Magic" comes a unique and controversial approach that tells parents in order to eliminate conflict with their child, they must first create it. The authors introduce a ten-step program that shows parents how to create and engineer conflict to help their children break inappropriate habits and learn more productive ways of behaving.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2006

Reviews

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a parent, you know how difficult it is to draw the line with your children, and you also know how essential it is to developing well-adjusted, productive citizens. It's a matter of boundaries, getting children to respect them as well as wanting to follow the rules. The authors have developed a system for helping parents deal with kids' behavior. Drawing the Line details timing; how, when, and how much to talk to kids who are acting up; where parents should position themselves; rewards and penalties; response with warmth, control, and how to avoid a permissive style of parenting.

The book goes into incredible detail, using examples and worksheets, to walk parents through steps aimed at creating good behavior in their children. I personally devoured this book and then went back and put the ten steps into practice for my own young children. They are different than in most discipline plans - here parents learn when to reward, penalize, and ignore certain behaviors using different techniques.

This book does not describe a quick fix for all of your child-rearing problems, although it does give helpful, constructive advice for every imaginable negative behavior. The system requires consistency and determination on the part of parents, but it doesn't take long to see real results from your children. Drawing the Line is an incredible book that is filled with valuable information. If you are looking for something to help with family discipline, run to your nearest bookstore and pick it up. You will be glad you did.

[Vimal Gasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit repetitive, if it was intended for better retention then I don't have any objection. A good definition of why authoritative parenting is better than authoritarian, permission, an uninvolved.