Rating: 
Summary: Basic idea is good but the advice is harsh and insensitve!!
Review: I have no children myself but I do have several nieces and nephews who I have watched grow up as they lived in our home. My sister always responded to her kids when they cried, they slept with her and their dad and they were never spanked. They were breastfeed on demand for as long as they wanted. They are FAR from being selfish, demanding brats! In fact they are just the opposite. They are very independent and self confident. I only read a couple of chapters so far and I while I like her basic premise that we should not coddle our kids, some of her advice is just downright harsh and cruel. One person in there asked a question about holding her three month old in a sling and was told that basically that "You should hold her for 10 to 15 minutes then put her down and let her cry otherwise she will learn that she can have her own way"! We are talking about an infant, a baby who has no other means to communicate except through crying. Most research now says that until 6 months to a year, that you can not spoil a child by picking them up. But, she makes it sound like a sin if you do and that you have damaged your children for life! She makes it sound as if our children will be damaged for life if they are held when they need to be and that if we dare stay home with them when they are sick, god forbid, they might find out that they actually like having mommy around! What a terrible thing for a child to want to have his mother instead of a housekeeper raise them! Most of us can't afford daycare much less a housekeeper! I think that is one reason they chicken pox vaccine was created-so that the parents would not have to take time off work to take care a sick child. I was pampered many times as a child when I was ill and I turned out just fine! I hate when celebrities try to tell others how to raise their kids, when truth be told, they are not raising them: a housekeeper is!! She also has the audacity to state that a child overindulged is WORSE off then a child who was neglected and abused! Has she ever seen an neglected child to know this? All in all, I hated the book and my best advice would be what Dr. Spock and others have always said "trust yourself. You know more then you think you do!" ...
Rating:
Summary: Is this book a parody?
Review: I honestly thought after reading the first couple of chapters that this book was a parody. It reminded me of some skit "Saturday Night Live" would do on parenting. The answers were short in words and substance. There were also a lot of contradictory statements. The book made me question the credentials of Dr. Sharon. If Marilu and Dr. Sharon felt they HAD to collaborate on a book, then perhaps the better approach would have been for Marilu to pen a book on her views of succesful acting, with Dr. Sharon offering asides to THAT topic.
Rating: 
Summary: just makes sense
Review: I know some people reacted extremely to some of the ideas in this book. I have always been taught to take what you need and leave the rest. I found I took a whole lot away after reading this book. The basic message I got was, to raise a successful adult you have to teach your kids to deal with frustration and dissapointment. I did not let my kids cry and cry, I did pick them up and cuddle them (maybe too much) but with my 2 1/2 year old I am using lots of her advice.
Rating: 
Summary: At last, someone tells it like it is
Review: I loved this book, I found the advice very helpful. I am so tired of watching parents negotiate with their obnoxious children in public, I wish more people would read this book. Bravo Marilu for standing up to the legion of overindulgent parents in America today.
Rating:
Summary: too late for us, but a gift to our grandchildren
Review: I sure wish we had this book when raising our children!! Marilu Henner and Dr. Ruth Sharon give wonderful advice for raising children in a self-centered world. After witnessing our 2-yr-old granddaughter manipulate her parents and throw a tantrum that no-one could control (and we all tried!), we happened upon this book and immediately gave it as a "gift" to our granddaughter and her parents. (We also bought 2 more for our 2 other adult children.) Marilu and Dr. Sharon show us how to shower our children with love, while giving them the guidelines they so desperately want and need.
Rating:
Summary: Really shallow advice!
Review: I think this book needs a millenium makeover. I read this book as a parent of two young girls under age 4 and was hoping to get some really helpful advice. Instead, I was under the impression that these two authors have children who are guilty until proven innocent, instead of the other way around. I found the advice to be rather shallow and not one bit of it something I hadn't actually heard before. I think Marilu has a great outlook on life and is happy with her children, but I didn't find this book to be helpful for MY "real world."
Rating:
Summary: The Worst of Marilu's books
Review: I was expecting much better having read her health makeoverbooks and liking her straightforward style. This book is much toopreachy and common sensical. It's a perfect guidebook for those who completely lack common sense.
Rating:
Summary: What a sad book...
Review: I was so distressed by the advice in this book. It reminded me of the 'scientific' way to raise children that was so popular in the 1920's. I am so glad I had parents who cuddled me whenever I needed it, and were at my side when I was sick. Did I grow up to be a brat? I don't think so. Because I was nutured, I grew up to have great empathy for others. I fear that children who are raised by the advice given in this book will grow up to be starved for attention.We have all seen pictures of neglected children in overseas orphanages who rock themselves in their cribs because there is no one to come when they cry...why would we go out of our way in this country to inflict that kind of "parenting" on our own children? I think Ms. Henner is a talented actress, but this book's advice really made me sad...
Rating:
Summary: I wholeheartedly agree with you, Marilu!
Review: I'm not surprised that there are a lot of scathing reviews of this book. Just look at the kids out there these days. America has more badly behaved, spoilt, obese, lazy, diabetic, violent, attention deficit disordered kids than any other country in the world. Obviously parents of those kind of kids bought into the "Listen closely to your kid's wants and needs. Treat them as an equal" kind of modern parenting books. Of course they would totally disagree with Marilu's solid, good old-fashioned advice. Marilu's advice harks back to the days when kids WEREN'T shooting up schools with automatic weapons and schools didn't need metal detectors at each entrance to screen for weapons. If all these new soft approach books are right, why are the kids these days so screwed up? Why, when parents were much stricter and less accomodating to their child's every whim, were the kids more polite, respectful, had a much better work ethic and way, way less out of control. I love the bit where Marilu says that spoilt kids don't grow up to thank their parents for giving them everything they always wanted. They usually have no respect for them. Unfortunately my wife and I have opposite opinions about raising our two boys (2 & 4). My wife hates to see them cry, so she constantly gives into their demands. As a result, it's much harder work for her to be around the kids than myself because they are much needier and brattier with her than they are with me. If you are firm, consistent and make the rules simple, the kids really quickly realise that it's a waste of their time whining and crying about the silly stuff and are much happier for it. If I put the kids to bed, I can leave them to fall asleep by themselves. I tell them that I'll come back in a couple of minutes to check on them. I may have to do this once and there maybe a little half-hearted grumbling about being left alone but it's usually an extremely rewarding and painless experience. If my wife puts them to bed, she can't leave the room without the sound of screaming kids following after her and usually ends up staying in their room until they fall asleep. I ask you, which scenario is most likely going to produce an independent, happy and confident child? Kids are constantly checking for chinks in our parental armour. If they find a weak spot, even at a very early age, they are incredibly smart and know how to take advantage of it. It's mindblowing to me how they do this. But I agree with Marilu, I think kids want and need rules to be in place and stuck to. They are more secure knowing that their parents are actually in charge and have things under control. Anybody know how to get in contact with Ruth Velikvsky Sharon Ph.d. who helped Marilu with the book? I'd like to get in touch with her. Oh, and financially successful parents who had nothing as a child (the " I want my kids to have the nice things that I never had" types) , stop giving your kids brand new BMWs when they're sixteen. There are undiscovered tribes in the Amazon jungle who know that this is a terrible, terrible thing to do to your child. What the hell do they have to aspire to if they're handed stuff like that on a plate. Yeah, give them a car...a car that is uncool enough that they want to get a job to earn money to pay for a cooler one. It's so simple.
Rating:
Summary: terrible!
Review: It is scary that people are advocating neglecting children. This book is harsh and has no scientific background. There are lots of great parenting books like Perfect Parenting by Elizabeth Pantley. Don't waste your money on this one!
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