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

by Nancy Samalin, Catherine Whitney

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 Samalin, internationally known parent educator and author of the bestselling Loving Your Child Is Not Enough , provides immediate answers to child-rearing challenges and helps develop the confidence and skills needed to raise a new generation of well-adjusted adults. Covering the most common parental concerns, Loving Without Spoiling provides effective strategies for positive parenting.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

Reviews

[donewithdora · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a nutshell, this book reminds us to be firm, respectful, approachable, nonaccusatory, loving parents who provide safe boundaries for our children, which may make us unpopular with them at times (which we should accept). This book is organized in such a way that you could quickly reference a topic, which would be helpful if you owned it & used it in such a way. But, I borrowed it from the library so I read the chapters consecutively. I don't wholeheartedly subscribe to every single thing in this book, but the majority of it I found pretty sound and it reinforced a lot of what I try to do in my own parenting.

A sidenote: I checked this book out from the library and was only the 3rd patron to do so since it was released 5 years ago! I am sickened by my daily observances of public parenthood and obviously they aren't reading books to improve themselves around here. I feel like I need to leave this book on every doorstep of my town.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book from cover to cover

Excellent tips and ideas to easily implement

Reassured the hesitation I’d had as a first time parent

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro que recomiendo para poder dar las mejor de nosotros como padres

[Kimberly Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Samalin, author of Loving Your Child is Not Enough covers everything from avoiding power struggles to building your child's self-esteem in this well organized and to the point book. The book can be read from cover to cover or in short spurts using the table of contents as a guide. Samalin provides everyday examples that any parent can related to and follows with tips for handling each situation with a firm, yet loving response. If you have children, especially if they are ages 5 & up, this book is worth at least a cursory glance. Be careful, though, you might be pulled into the book to explore some things you weren't looking for like curing the "gimmies" or beating the "everybody else" syndrome"!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, just read for information's sake. Don't have kids of my own. I liked a lot of the ideas in this book, but it was the other end of the spectrum from the last child rearing book I read as far as spanking and demanding respect. I think it needs to be somewhere in the middle...
This book said if you kids are screaming 'I hate you' or being disrespectful that a good way to handle it is to make a joke. Ha ha. The other book said that's the time when you should be able to pop them a quick one to let them know who's in charge. Neither of which I agree with.
A lot of the things in this book seemed a little pansy parenting to me, but again, some good stuff too. Glad I read it.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There really isn't any amazing advice in this book. A lot of it is stuff you know, and have heard before...but maybe that is because I am already years into my parenting journey. There were a few areas that really stood out. Sibling relationships, expectations, and social skills were a few of those areas. I also liked some of the ways she suggested you say things to your children.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Commonsense tips for respectful but firm parenting. A quick and easy read. It is organized in such a way that it is easy to flip to the section you need for a specific parenting dilemma. I keep it on hand as a reference and return to it when I need a refresher. I have done quite a bit of highlighting in this book.

[Lorri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really deals with situations with children over 2 years old, but it is a great reference book. What I like about the book is it is broken up into short sections with helpful solutions by behavior or issue. This is a great book to buy and keep as reference as a child grows.

[Michele.medlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

my kid is a big too young for these timeless tips but i'm planning on re-reading when he's about 4. i liked the style of parenting & i wish i had actually writen stuff down so this review didn't become like all my other ones and petered out at the end.

[Diane16 · Rating 4 out of 5]

With 100 tips for keeping your child from becoming spoiled, there is bound to be a tip for everyone in this book. I will be keeping this book around to read for years. There are tips that could be valuable from toddlers to teens.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the parenting advice in this book. Her parenting philosophy matches mine closely and I liked the format of the book.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think most of this was common sense although it did remind me of better ways to say certain things to your children.