Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.46 You Save: $7.49 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.98 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Playful Parenting
Book Review: Nice thoughts, but would have liked more concrete info
Summary: 2 Stars
Like a lot of books written by therapists, this contains many beautiful stories and a lot of nice ideas, but not much concrete advice. It tells you to be playful nd why that's important, but offers scant suggestions about how or what to play with your baby/toddler/child.Book Review: Not just for the NEW Parent
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, I'll admit it. Judging from the results, I thought I was a pretty great mom. My 20 year old and my 13 year old are both bright, mature, responsible, independent human beings.
But now, being the 43 year old mom of an "oops baby" 16 month old, has allowed me to give it one more try. And I thought the one thing I had really lacked before was being more playful with my kids. So naturally, I bought this book.
The first thing I want to say is, I could only take the book in small doses. Not that it wasn't written well, but after only a little while, it started to sound all the same and I started to tune out. (I think I also read 3 novels along with this book, in the time it took me to finish this).
Having said that, I think I am really glad it took me so long to read it. The things in the book have really stayed with me.
I have always been from the school of natural consequences (and still am, really) but this book made me think about different ways to discipline and the reasons behind the acting out in the first place (generally a disconnect somewhere- He has a great analogy of the child's cup needing to be filled with love and connection).
I don't agree with a previous review about it being for kids over 3. In fact I think this would a be a GREAT gift for a baby shower.
I have an example from just last night. My husband came home from work. My 16 month old is a real daddy's girl, but last night she for the first time did not rush over to him to be picked up. In fact she wouldn't go to him at all. Before reading this book, I wouldn't have thought much about this. My husband started to get a little irritated "Ok, fine I'll just eat dinner, I'm starving blah, blah blah..". I immediately said, "she is feeling rejected because she doesn't get to see you much during the week, so she is doing the only thing she can with her 16 month old mind, she is rejecting you first." Where the heck did that come from? Also I said that if we let this go tonight, it would just get worse every night and pretty soon she would saying, Daddy who?
So I said, "You really need to get down on the floor and connect with her, now, so we can stop this in its tracks" So he did and said, "Ok now what?" cause she still would not even look at him. I did the first thing that came to mind. I took the nearest piece of cloth I could find (a placemat) and did the "where's Daddy?" peek-a-boo. Magic. She started giggling and playing with him and the evening was saved.
Duh, simple you say? Yeah, maybe. That is was playful parenting is all about. But I really would not have thought to do that if I had not read the book. My husband thought I was a genius (Ok, I didn't tell him I got it from the book!)
One more thing. The author really gets that playing with the kids can be boring, time consuming, and worse. And he talks about his mistakes in this process too. He does not in any way talk down to the reader.
Book Review: Not what I had hoped
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is a little too "psycho babble" for me. The author gives a lot of explanations by describing moments between himself and his own children that I did not find helpful. I felt like the book could have been only a few pages long and still gotten the same message across. All he really needed to say was, "Play with your children, even during discipline."Book Review: Packed full of info!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a GREAT book. I have put some of the tips to use and can already see a difference in my relationship with my kids. I try to make them laugh everyday now. This book gave me SO MUCH insight that I so needed as a parent. The only thing I thought the book was missing was maybe some summary points/suggestions at the end of each chapter. All of the tips are within the stories and it is hard to remember them so I need to get a notebook to write everything I want to remember down. I am a fast reader and this book is taking a long time for me to read to absorb it all.
But a great book, full of wonderful advice and a great price. I will go back to and read again and again. Highly recommend!
Book Review: Play Connects You, Being Connected Helps
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of just a couple of parenting books that I keep coming back to because its advice not only resonates with my parenting instincts, but offers solutions that work for my family. Playing in the way described in this book, and other ways, helps me stay connected with my child. Being connected makes life together more joyful and easier.