Synopses & Reviews
Chapter OneIn the Beginning Were the Words
It didn't add up.
If what I was doing was right, then why was so much going wrong?
There wasn't a doubt in my mind that if I praised my children-let them know how much I valued each effort, each achievement-that they would automatically become self-confident.
'Men why was Jill so unsure of herself?
Then why did every explanation trigger an argu. ment from David?
Then why did Andy cling and whine?
It was all a little unnerving. But what worried me most was the way I had been acting lately. The irony of it all! 1, who was going to be the mother of the century -- I, who had always felt so superior to those shrill, arm-yanking, "mean" mothers in the supermarket -- I, who was determined -that the mistakes of my Parents would never be visited upon my children -- I, who felt I had so much to give-my warmth, vast patience, my joy in just being alive-had walked into the children's room this morning, looked at the floor smeared with flngerpaints, and unleashed a shriek that made the supermarket mother sound like the good fairy. But most bitter to me were the things I had said: "Disgusting ... slobs ... can't I trust you for a minute?" These were the very words I had heard and hated in my own childhood.
What had happened to my vast patience? Where was all that joy I was going to bring? How could I have drifted sofar from my original dream?
It was doubtful. Helen had often expressed her distrust of the experts. She prefers to rely upon what she calls "common sense and natural instincts." Unlike me, she doesn't make as many demands upon herself as a mother, nor does she worry about her children in terms of long-range goals. Maybe it's because she's a sculptor and has outside interests. Anyway, sometimes I envied her easygoing manner, her total faith in herself. She always seems to have everything under control.... Although lately she has been complaining about the children. Evidently for the past few weeks they've been at each others' throats, and nothing she says or does makes any difference. It seems that neither her instinct nor common sense are enough to help her cope with their daily running battles.
As I dialed Helen's number I thought that maybe, with the recent turn of events, she might put aside her prejudice toward the professionals and come with me.
But Helen was adamant.
She said she wouldn't go to another lecture on child psychology if Sigmund Freud, himself, were speaking.
She said she was tired of hearing those: pious platitudes about how children must have love, security, firm limits, love, consistency, love, flexibility, love....
She said that the last time she had gone to such a meeting, she walked around the house for three days afterwards nervously Measuring her output of "love.*
She said she hadn't recuperated sufficiently from thatexperience to expose herself to -any more anxiety-producing generalizations.
A scream came from Helen's end of the phone.
"I'm gonna tell! Im gonna tell!"
'You tell and Ill. do it again!"
"Mommy, Billy threw a block at me.!
"She stepped on my finger!"
"I did not. You!re a big dooty!"
"Oh God," Helen moaned, "they're at it again! Anything to get out of this house!"
The speaker on the program that evening was Dr. Haim Ginott, child psychologist and author of a new book, "Between Parent and Child. He began his lecture by asking this question: "What is it about the language I use with children that is different?'
We looked at each other blankly.
"The language I use," he continued, "does not evaluate. I avoid expressions which judge a child's character or ability. I steer clear of words like 'stupid, clumsy, bad: and even words like 'beautiful, good, wonderful, ' because they are not helpful; they get in a child's way. Instead I use words that describe. I describe what I see; I describe what I feel.
"Recently a little girl in my playroom brought me a painting and asked, 'Is it good?' I looked at it and answered, I see a purple house, a red sun, a striped sky, and lots of flowers. It makes me feel as though I were in the country.' She smiled and said, Im going to make another!"
"Suppose I had answered, 'Beautiful, you're a great artist!' I can guarantee that that would have been the last painting she did that day. After all, where can one go from 'beautiful' and 'great? I'm convinced: words that evaluate, hinder a child. Words that describe, set him free.
"I also like descriptive words," he continued, "because they invite a child to workout his own solutions to problems. Here's an example: If a child were to spill a glass of milk, I would say to him, I see the milk spilled, ' and then I'd band him a sponge. In this way, I avoid blame and put the emphasis where it belongs-on what needs to be done.
"If I were to say instead, 'Stupid. You always spill everything. You'll never learn, will...
Synopsis
ADELE FABER and ELAINE MAZLISH tell how the principles of the famed child psychologist Dr. Haim Ginott have inspired their own highly successful child-care methods, used in parent workshops from coast to coast. Sharing their own and others' parenting experiences, Faber and Mazlish provide moving and convincing testimony to this approach, one which has proved to bring out the best in both children and parents. Find out how the mood in your home can change when you respond:
To Feelings -- "A SCRATCH CAN HURT."
(Instead of) "Stop crying. It's only a scratch."
To Mishaps -- "THE MILK SPILLED. WE NEED A SPONGE."
(Instead of) "Now look what you did!"
To Misbehavior -"WALLS ARE NOT FOR WRITING ON. PAPER IS FOR WRITING ON."
(Instead of) "Bad boy! No more crayons for you!"
They also speak to the countless ways your use of language can,build self-esteem, inspire confidence, and encourage responsibility.
Synopsis
The Companion Volume to How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
In this honest, illuminating book, internationally acclaimed parenting experts Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish bring to life the principles of famed child psychologist Dr. Haim Ginott, and show how his theories inspired the changes they made in their relationships with their own children.
By sharing their experiences, as well as those of other parents, Faber and Mazlish provide moving and convincing testimony to their new approach and lay the foundation for the parenting workshops they subsequently created that have been used by thousands of groups worldwide to bring out the best in both children and parents.
Wisdom, humor, and practical advice are the hallmarks of this indispensable book that demonstrates the kind of communication that builds self-esteem, inspires confidence, encourages responsibility, and makes a major contribution to the stability of today's family.
About the Author
Internationally acclaimed experts on communication between adults and children, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish have won the gratitude of parents and the enthusiastic endorsement of the professional community.
Their first book, Liberated Parents/Liberated Children, received the Christopher Award for "literary achievement affirming the highest values of the human spirit." Their subsequent books, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk and the #1 New York Times bestseller Siblings Without Rivalry, have sold over 3 million copies and have been translated into more than twenty languages. Their group workshop programs and videos produced by PBS are currently used by thousands of parents' groups around the globe. Their most recent book, How to Talk So Kids Can Learn-At Home and in School, was cited by Child magazine as the "best book of the year for excellence in family issues and education."
Both authors studied with the late child psychologist, Dr. Haim Ginott, and are former members of the faculty of The New School for Social Research in New York City and The Family Life Institute of Long Island University. In addition to their frequent lectures throughout the United States and Canada, they have appeared on every major television show from "Good Morning America" to "The Oprah Winfrey Show." They currently reside in Long Island, New York, and each is the parent of three children.