Rating: 
Summary: I certainly don't want to raise a BRAT!
Review: When I was trying to conceive my first child I stumbled upon this and other books by Marilu Henner. I thought it offered great insights into things that a new or even established parent should and should not do if they want to raise a healthy, respectful and well-behaved child.In a society that has an abundance of unhealthy children I find this book to be great at educating parents in a non-threatening way. Sure Marilu cracks jokes, she is a very funny lady. Sure she is considered a celebrity but more so since she became an author. I think she has done what many people would love to do, take something they are passionate about, write it all down and share it with others. She didn't get a book deal just because she is also an actress and she wouldn't continue to write nor get the book deals if her books didn't sell. Take the time to read this book with an open mind and I bet there is at least a dozen things that will make you think about how great Marilu must be as a mother. I guarantee that if you were ever to meet Nicky or Joey you would find them both well behaved and extremely respectful! If you don't want to spend the money, at least check it out from a local library! You won't be sorry that you did!
Rating: 
Summary: Did anyone fact-check this book????
Review: Where do I begin? There were some very bizarre claims the authors made. For instance, it was claimed that a child who has not broken a pacifier (thumb-sucking) habit may be doomed to smoke cigarettes in his/her adult years. One parent who had a teen asking for advice on how to get the teen off cigarettes (unclear if the teen was on a pacifier as a child), but the problem was that the parent was on cigarettes for many of the teen's early years. Dr. Sharon's advice? To ask the pediatrician to tell the teen how harmful cigarettes are. As if the pediatrician will have more persuasion power then a parent! It will be a sad day when children have more respect for their pediatricians than their parents.
Other claims included that if you let a child over-sleep, the child will become a lazy adult. That the body will adjust to whatever amount of sleep you provide it. I challenge Marilou to go without sleep and have her body adjust to that!
What's the deal on co-sleeping? Humans have been doing it since the beginning of time, yet Marilou decides to tell this story about a father who accidentally stuck his elbow into his infant's neck so that the infant had to be revived. This one story is supposed to scare humanity away from a practice that has been going on for thousands of years?
And what was the deal on preschools which have multiple toilets in the same big room (without dividers) leading children to become voyeurs and exhibitionists later in life? Are these people for real? Do they know how many preschools have communal no-privacy-stalls bathrooms? And what if a preschooler falls into the toilet? How is the teacher supposed to quickly get to the child?
Just to be clear, I do not co-sleep, I personally was on a pacifier until the age of 3 and am not a smoker, and I've tried getting away with 5-6 hours of sleep every day for 3 years and it doesn't work! In addition, I clearly remember being in a preschool that had at least 7 toilets lined up along the wall without stalls and I certainly am not either a voyeur or exhibitionist!
This book just assumes that everyone is the same and it's a good idea to stick all children through a cookie-cutter system and voila! you'll have perfect kids!
I am *not* a permissive parent, but I'm not at all like the type of parent that these authors want us all to be. Everywhere I go (either to other parts of the US or to other parts of the world) people always complement me on how well-adjusted my daughter is. There is some advice in the book that I follow, but it's all common sense. The danger of trying to find the good advise is to *know* which ones are in fact good and which ones are garbage!
I had high hopes for this book, but there was just so many ludicrously bizarre snippets of advice that I had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money...!
Review: While I agree with the basic premise of this book (thatoverindulgence is ultimately detrimental to your kids and family),this book is horribly written and thin on substance. The tone of the book is condescending and amazingly abrasive! Marilu grew up in a large family and seems to think that their unusual upbringing must be the answer for every situation and every family. Since her mother slept until noon everyday and Marilu turned out ok, that means our children should become accustomed to such neglect. I have read many parenting books that I did not enjoy, but I have never seen one that made no attempt to back up their recommendations with some sort of scientific data. Marilu makes the ridiculous statement that she read "many studies" linking pacifier use to cigarette smoking. Apparently, you just have to take the two authors at their word that their opinions have merit. I have much more faith in the solid writing of John Rosemond. He may also linger a bit on the "good ol' days" of his youth. But at least he is coherent and presents plausible theories and solutions. END
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing advice,misleading information
Review: While I have always enjoyed Marilu Henner on T.V. I will never look to her for parenting advice. This book is too simplistic and adheres to a one size fits all mindset. While I was happy to see that she promotes breastfeeding, some of the information is completely false. For example, it is extremely rare for a woman not to make enough milk and drinking more water is not what makes a good milk supply. Allowing your baby to feed on cue does. Also, practices like co-sleeping (the family bed) are not what make children bratty and dependent (in fact the research proves the opposite to be true)parents produce brats by failing to establish who is the voice of authority in their household, fearing they will hurt the child's "self esteem". Why won't parenting "experts" stop blaming certain practices for ruining children? It is an overall indulgent lifestyle that is to blame. The family bed, extended breastfeeding, or other nurturing parenting styles used for thousands of years all over the world should not be used as the scapegoat because parents don't want to take the time to raise their children. I'm sure Marilu Henner is a wonderful mother but she assumes in her book that because her way worked for her it must work for all. Please do not give this book to new parents. Instead buy Our Babies, Ourselves by Meredith Small and Mothering and Fathering by Tine Thevenin.
Rating:
Summary: parenting for selfish celebrities
Review: While not all of the advice contained in this book is downright wrong, some of it is cruel, and some is just useless to normal people. Leave your sick child with the housekeeper? How many of us have housekeepers? And how will staying home with your child when s/he is legitimately sick create an "unnatural dependency"? Much of the advice seems tailored to people who want a justification for refusing the work that comes with parenting. I am not a parent myself, for one simple reason--I have a career, which I am not yet willing to abandon. The day I have a child I expect to put the child's needs first. Henner (and "expert" Dr Sharon) consistently suggest ignoring your child's cries and refusing to explain decisions. They say that explaining yourself might give the child the "false" idea that s/he is an equal. A child might not have equal responsibilities or even rights to an adult, but I feel very strongly that the child is entitled to equal respect, and that means explaining yourself, especially when the decision has a big impact on the child's life. Some of Henner's anecdotes about her family are humourous, but a few are just plain weird. Some anecdotes are not in the context of Henner's own comments, and it's hard to tell whether these are fictional or factual. The sections at the end of each chapter ("When a Little Brat Becomes a Big Brat") paint horrifying pictures of what happens to society when a mother rocks her baby to sleep (yes, Henner thinks rocking your baby to sleep is a bad idea). These sections do not contain much (if any) statistical evidence for their claims. All in all, I feel sorry for the children of any parents who take this book too seriously.
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