Book subtitle: Advice From the Child-Care Expert -- From the Terrible Twos to the Tortuous Teens , an Expert's Guide to Weathering the Storms of Parenting Eda LeShan wrote this book after a 35-year career as a family counselor, nursery school teacher and director, a social welfare worker, and a therapist in a child guidance clinic. She has also been a regular columnist for Woman's Day magazine, for years had a talk show on the CBS radio network, and hosted a series on PBS TV series called 'How Do Your Children Grow?' She is a member of the American Psychological Association. The book consists of 57 articles organized as shown in the table of contents (see below). Many of them were originally articles written for Parents' Magazine, Woman's Day, and The Journal of the National Education Association. This book received enthusiastic endorsements from Dr. Lee Salk and Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It became a super-bestseller after it came out as a hardcover in 1985. This collection of valuable lessons is now an inexpensive paperback. Every parent will recognize the scenarios described by Eda LeShan - the small child who won't be separated from a blanket, or the teenager who won't get off the telephone. LeShan's advice may seem like common sense after you read it, but you're likely to say, "Why didn't I think of that?" Many readers have remarked that the seven page section on how to prevent a child from being molested would by itself be worth the price of the book.
Table of Contents
Table of contents for
When Your Child Drives You Crazy , by Eda LeShan
From the 1986 edition by St. Martin's Paperbacks
PART I -- SETTING THE STAGE
Why I Wrote This Book 1
When Your Child Drives You Crazy 18
Why Every Child Needs a Fortune-Teller 25
What Do the Experts Know About Your Child? 30
PART II -- BASIC PHILOSOPHY OF PARENTING
When Parent Love Goes Too Far 41
Some Don't Want to Be Hugged 46
The Need for Privacy 50
A Four-Letter Word for Parents: Wait! 56
Secrets: How Much to Tell a Child 64
Do Kids Whose Mothers Work Get Shortchanged? 75
PART III -- THE CRUCIAL YEARS
Stuffed Animals and Special Blankets are
No Laughing Matter 81
Why Children Must Pretend 87
The Integrity of Saying 'No!' 94
A Child Needs Tears as Well as Laughter 98
The Ten Most Important Things a Parent
can Teach a Little Child 104
The Importance of Learning to Say Goodbye 114
How to Live With Three Under Three 122
Children Who Won't Eat 130
PART IV -- READING BEHAVIOR
An Exhaustion Unto Madness 141
When a Child Lies 146
I'm Scared, Mommy 154
If Your Child Threatens to Run Away 158
When a Child Nags All the Time 161
When a Child is Rude 166
Accident Proneness in Children 173
PART V -- THERE ARE NO GOOD AND BAD HABITS
Sense and Nonsense About Habits 181
It Does No Good Biting the Hand That Needs You 188
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream 192
PART VI -- DISCIPLINE
Consistency in Childraising is Ridiculous! 201
The Pros and Cons of Spanking 206
Healthy and Irritating Signs of Independence 209
Making the Punishment Fit the Need 215
Saying "No!" to Children Loudly and Clearly 223
If You Want Your Child to Be Responsible 229
PART VII -- SIBLINGS AND SOCIABILITY
Are You Fair With Your Children? 241
Love and Hate: The Sibling Connection 245
Getting Mad is Quite Okay 253
The Shy Ones 261
PART VIII -- CREATING GOOD CITIZENS
Nobody Likes a Tattletale 271
Teaching Children About Evil 277
How to Teach Your Children to Be Generous 280
Do You Worry About Your Child's
Choice of Friends? 284
Children, Chores, and Work 293
PART IX -- SPECIAL PEOPLE, SPECIAL TIMES
The Teenager and the Telephone 305
Stepmothers Aren't Wicked Anymore 312
Helping Children Cope With Disappointment 320
The Trouble With Santa Claus 331
Baby-Sitters Are Not Substitute Parents 338
Six Signs of a Good Teacher 341
How to Prevent a Child From Being
Sexually Molested 346
PART X -- SUMMERTIME
A Time to Loaf 355
Sending a Child to Camp 360
Visitors' Weekend at Summer Camp 367
CONCLUSIONS
Not Guilty! The Important Difference Between
Guilt and Regret 373
The Family is Not Dead 379
The Importance of Finishing Unfinished
Business 382
The Real Mother's Day 389
About the Author 395
Books reviews at http://crimsonbird.com by Nancy Lepore and Mike Lepore |