|
Raising
a Thinking Preteen introduces
a unique series of exercises, games, and discussions parents can
share with their eight- to twelve-year-olds that wil1 help their
children recognize and express feelings they're having, help
identify why others behave the way they do, and devise various
reactions when faced with any challenging situation. It will also
help parents listen better to their children and help them reach
their own conclusions rather than provide the answers for them.
This book can be used by those who are familiar with the "I
Can Problem Solve Program" (ICPS) from Raising a Thinking
Child, where it was applied to younger children three to
seven, or you can learn its benefits here for the first time.
Throughout
each chapter, developmental psychologist Myrna Shure gives clear
and helpful examples of how parents can use the ICPS system to
improve communication with their children by substituting a
problem-solving approach for the more commonly used power
approach, explaining approach, or suggesting approach. The
problem-solving approach gives a child the chance to take an
active part in the discussion and think for himself or herself.
This is the key to raising a child who can come up with several
different options in any situation, think about all of them, and
then choose the best one for the situation. According to much
research, this skill is the one that helps children face
challenges confidently and have more success and less stress in
nearly every aspect of life-as an adolescent and an adult. It also
makes a parent's life much easier, as it helps children better
wait for what they want, cope with the frustration of not getting
what they want, get along better with peers, control their
impulses and aggressions, and resist peer pressure.
Children who have ICPS
skills become "can do" kids who tend to play a very
active role in their own lives and not see themselves as passive
bystanders in a world full of events that just "happen"
to them. What parent could want more? |
