"A snappy read, so you can't claim you don't have time. And the method's simple, so you can't pretend you aren't qualified to use it." --Newsday"It's a terrific book: logical, concrete and easy to read." --The Boston GlobeFrom the AuthorI aspired to take what parents and children had taught me for 30 years of practice and put it into a quick and doable plan that can quickly turn a home around.About the AuthorRichard Bromfield, PhD, is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A faculty member of Harvard Medical School, he writes about children, psychotherapy, and family life in both professional and popular periodicals. He is in private practice in Boston, Massachusetts. what year are books in the public domain How to Unspoil Your Child Fast: A Speedy, Complete Guide to Contented Children and Happy Parents
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. It's hard to write a fun book about poorly raised childrenBy Stephen ArmstrongThe title of the book suggests the problem is with the spoiled child. Inside the book the author identifies the other half of the problem--the indulgent parent.Bromfield talks about spoiled children--the ones who whine, complain, interrupt, blame, guilt-induce, extort, "negotiate," tantrum, and blackmail unearned things from parents--and the parents who fall into these traps (and who promote these traps based on pseudo-love for their children).Bromfield's writing is breezy and fast. This won't take you longer to read than a couple of hours. If you are part of a spoiled parent-child bond, however, you will need to talk with some other parent about the mechanics of implementing his advice.I have read the 3-, 2- and 1-star reviews of this book. I don't think the reviews are fair. Bromfield is clear that un-spoiling a child takes both parents' effort. His method does not work with parents who undermine each other's authority or those who have other serious relationship issues. This book is not a behavior modification book in order to get a child to eat a healthy meal. This is not a book on Oppositional Defiant Disorder.I gave the book three stars because Bromfield's breezy, colloquial writing can detract from his central message: children rarely spoil themselves; spoiling can be fixed; the parents' job is to provide a "fixing" environment; and, in doing so, the parent will give the child a chance to learn about proper behavior, rules, limits, and consequences. It is easy for parents to mistake Bromfield's technique and anecdotes as "shock and awe," even if he did not intend it that way--and these anecdotes are not central to his message.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Buy this Book!By Samantha McManusI am reviewing this book after reading 75% of it...that is how helpful it has been. I have tried many parenting techniques over the years (including the ones that make us cry when our kids aren't looking) and all along I thought it was my child who was the problem in our relationship. Lo and behold, it was me (yeah, duh!). I was sure I had not spoiled her but after reviewing the 12 item check list at the beginning of the book and checking 9 of the "spoiler" qualities, I threw in the towel. Bromfield gives practical, common sense advice and strategies without the psycho-babble often associated with self-help books. I immediately began using his techniques and suggestions and already have noticed a marked difference in my daughter's behavior. One of Bromfield's main points is that our children really, really want us to parent them and give them guidance. They don't want to be the decision makers...they are children...but too many times we give them too many choices because we were never given any in childhood. Guess what? We turned out okay! While my child is still her little willful, domineering self (hey, it's only been a week), she is slowly realizing that her authority is changing. The funny thing is that already she has done things she's never done before without prompting, namely apologizing for her behavior and accepting responsibility for consequences. This book is a sanity saver. As Bromfield points out, it isn't a band-aid for a scratch that will go away and be gone forever but it is a first-aid kit for all those parenting near-misses that sift the authority in our families and give the grown-ups a headache. I'm glad I found this book while my daughter is still young. Hopefully by the time the teen years hit, the advice found here will make those years easier on everyone. Again, buy this book!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Very Helpful!By Lucy DittyThis book was very clear and understandable. The concepts discussed are logical and practical. I picked it up because my 3-year-old has been getting demanding and saying she wants things "RIGHT NOW" and I wanted to nip that behavior in the bud (and hey, it was free).While most of the advice may seem like "common sense," it seems like all too often common sense is either lacking or is ignored due to doubts or pressure from outside. I recognized myself in some of the behaviors described. I want to be firm and feel that there have to be consequences to negative behavior, but sometimes I feel I'm being too harsh or that I want to be a "nice mommy." This book reaffirmed that yes, there have to be consequences. Yes, it's hard but it's harder when the child is allowed to be spoiled. Yes, we all want to be "nice parents" but the nicest thing we can do is be good parents, which means being firm sometimes.It gave me a new resolve, and I've already started putting some things into practice and seeing good results. She threw a toy and I told her the next toy she threw would be removed, and she looked at me, grinned, and threw a toy. I removed the toy without comment. She threw something else. I removed it. She had a hissy fit about wanting her toys back and I calmly told her no, she could have them back tomorrow. (I would normally have been tempted to give them right back with a warning not to do it again.) I stuck to it and she didn't throw anything else.The quality of the e-book was good; I did not notice any issues with the spelling or punctuation.I have found too many of the self-help or how-to free books to be worth what I paid for them (i.e., they're junk). However, this was definitely an exception and I was very pleased to get such a helpful book.