Help--My Kid is Driving Me Crazy: The 17 Ways Kids Manipulate Their Parents, and What You Can Do About It Paperback – September 1, 2009

This was an excellent book. I have a six year old who was always a very easy toddler and baby. You said no, she accepted, never caused a scene, never misbehaved. Then suddenly at 5 years old after starting kindergarten she really began testing boundaries at home. I reread so many parenting books and I would nod my head and say, yes, consistent limits, enforce punishments, praise good behavior...but I’m already doing that. Whyyyy is it not working.Enter this book. Honestly, after a particularly trying evening with my daughter, I googled “My kid is driving me crazy” and this book came up. I read some reviews and thought it was worth a read.The book explains that in addition to setting consistent limits and praising good behavior, there is an emotional component, that if not acknowledged will undermine all the effective limits you put into place. For me the biggest take away was: do not engage with a child who is trying to get her way. If the child notices any irritation or annoyance in your voice the child wins even if you stay consistent with the limit. She then sees that you are affected by her bad behavior. She is angry and she is able to make you angry too, and that is power. She will gladly accept a consequence because she won on the emotional battleground.I read this about three months ago and it has made so much of a difference with my daughter.

We have an 8 year old who has been testing us and trying to manipulate us and this book was very helpful in helping

Dear Buyer, Finally, a book that sides with me. All this time, we have been unable to agree on how to discipline. This sets up workable ones, as my children think it's "hard labor" to all get together and fold clothes on a weekend.JC

Tells how kids manipulate their parents & how the parents can do something about it. I bought this for my daughter in NC-she has 10 yr. old twins (almost 11) that she has to tell at least3 or 4 times before they do what they are asked & there is a lot of yelling. Hope my daughter is reading this book, but I seriously doubt it. I bought another book for her to read when the twins were much younger & they didn't have their 2 sisters now. I don't think she read that. The twins are very intelligent, but lack any form of discipline & know no social graces. I'm very concerned. I'm going to buy this book for myself at a used book store.

It was filled with the doctor's client stories, and most of them were more extreme than I was looking for. I was hoping for something more general. However, there were some useful charts that would apply to just about any kid and parents.

I really felt like this book covered some very thought provoking ideas on why children behave the way they do. I found at least a couple of the manipulation strategies were strategies I used regularly as a child. Imagine how helpful this book would have been for my own mother! I have a child who is very difficult for me to work with as a parent and so I have read many books on how I might better be able to parent such a strong willed child. I believe this book has been the best one I have read to date and the most logical. I was very impressed and plan on giving it to at least a couple of struggling mothers I know.

This book is provides a practical guide for parents who are worn out from the daily battles of parenthood. It's amazing how easy it is to control the daily trials and little quarrels that seems "normal" during the children's growing years once you learn the tactics children use in an attempt to get what they want. Once you learn these clever manipulations, it becomes relatively easy to thwart these attempts and the previous arguments seems to fade away. By understanding what your kids really need and how you can more effectively respond to their actions, your home can be once again a more peaceful place for everyone. A must read for every parent!!

I bought this book years ago to help us figure out how to manage the challenges raising four daughters brings. Now I purchase it as a gift for friends who find themselves at their wits end! It’s a must-have on the bookshelf of every parent. They say there’s not a manual for raising kids . . . YES, THERE IS! This is it!

Information is well written