Customer Reviews

Kid Cooperation: How to Stop Yelling, Nagging, and Pleading and Get Kids to Cooperate

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I did not find this book helpful at all. The author tends to lecture while putting parents who unknowingly make mistakes into "cutesy" little categories like "Nagging Nellie, Whining Wilma, Betty Briber, Counting Casey and Bret Threat".

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be labeled and then lectured. I want good, sound advice from someone who knows that no kid or parent is ALWAYS perfect.

The first turn-off for me in this book was a "quiz" that's supposed to tell you what kind of parenting style you have. All this did was put the "good" parents and the "bad" parents in two separate piles with praise going to the "good" or Balanced Parents -- "oh you perfect little parents, you've done your homework and shouldn't even be reading this book!"

I think this author needs a few more parenting classes herself!

Do yourself a favor. Read 1-2-3 Magic instead!

The minute I saw this book on the shelf I had to have it. I wanted to stop yelling, nagging, pleading and get my kids to cooperate. Who wouldn't? I have three children and have been using the many ideas in this book since I purchased it a year and a half ago. Each time I read it - either cover to cover or just glancing over the great reminder pages - I gain more useful ideas to help me be a successful parent. As my children enter new stages in their life and new parenting challenges are faced, I have the confidence to tackle them head-on by using the techniques that I have learned in this book. I have recommended Kid Cooperation to all my friends and I highly recommend it to you as well. I can't imagine what my family life would be like if it wasn't for this first rate parenting book. It is a must have for every parent.

I enjoyed this book but found it a bit superficial. I am a detail person and want to know as much as I can - those 'how' and 'why' questions need to be answered. Kid Cooperation fell a bit short of providing this detail. I turned to a Book, "Systemic Parenting: An Exploration of the Parenting Big Picture" (Gaskill) to fill in the details as to why both parents and kids yell, nag, and plead to get their needs and wants met. Kid Cooperation is a good summary and a basic overview, however, you will want to look elsewhere to get the important detail.

Parenting is the hardest job you'll ever have. But, it is the most fulfilling. Children don't come with Operating Manuals. So, often we find ourselves "winging it" when instructing and guiding our children. We are then reminded by outcomes that this is NOT the best approach.
Elizabeth Pantley's book KID COOPERATION... is the best OPERATING Manual we have read. And the ideas are real experiences of Elizabeth and others. If one approach to a child rearing event doesn't work well there are usually others you can employ that will.
Our journey with our two boys was at a point where we were so frustrated! What we were doing was NOT working. Now, with the advice and experience of Elizabeth we feel alot more confident in our decisions of discipline and guidance.
We liked the book so much we plan to look into other books she has written.

It's wonderful to read a book for parents by a parent who "gets it." No unrealistic ideas like "Have a Family Meeting" or "Explain Your Feelings." This book contains the real What to say and How to say it. As an example the author says to Give a Choice (p. 39) "Using choice is an effective way to achieve results while allowing your children to learn self-discipline and develop good decision-making skills." As typical in the book the author then goes on with real-life examples such as, "Do you want to wear your Big Bird pajamas, or your Mickey Mouse pajamas?" and "Do you want to wear your coat, carry it, or put on a sweatshirt?" and "What do you want to do first, take out the trash or feed the dog?" Filled with tools like this it is a great and effective book!

Kids don't want to be nagged. Parents don't really want to nag, either. But it is easy to fall into counter-productive behaviors. This book very simply helps parents/teachers/any adult choose their words and actions to help preserve harmony in their household.

After reading this book, I started to notice that everywhere I looked, kids were refusing to cooperate. Their parents were nagging, pleading, threatening, or waffling. I wanted to carry a stack of Kid Cooperation books in my backpack and start handing them out left and right.

Parenting is not always easy, but with the right tools, it can be joyful and peaceful -- Cooperative! KID COOPERATION helped me reinforce what is positive and effective in my parenting style. To me, this book is a gold mine. I love it.

An easy read packed with incredible, realistic ideas. Ii isn't boring like so many parenting books, but written in a conversational tone that's fun to read. But what's most important is that the ideas REALLY WORK!

Each concept is clearly explained and examples are given -- the "wrong" way is demonstrated, it can be humourous, but it's amazing how many times I saw myself in them, such as "Kids! How many times to I have to tell you to put your toys away before dinner? You now the rule, yet every day you come to dinner and I see the room littered with toys. Before I put any food on the table, I expect to......" (Don't lecture. Me??) Then the book gives you the better way. (Make it brief.) "Kids -- the rule is, toys put away before dinner."

Each chapter has a summary page to copy and post on your refrigerator to help remind you of what you want to remember.

What's best is that Kid Cooperation gives you multiple ideas, since the author is a mother herself and knows that no one idea will work every time nor will it work with every kid.

I'd definately recommend this book if you want to be more calm and stop yelling and nagging your kids.

I just wasn't getting much respect or cooperation from my 3 and 5 year old sons. Mornings were especially unbearable! I would routinely scream from the kitchen-"How many times do I have to tell you?...Turn off the TV this minute!...Your breakfast is getting cold!" The truth is that my actions did not reinforce my words and they really didn't have to comply until the third time I asked- when I finally put down what I was doing in the kitchen, ran into the family room and stood right in front of them ranting and raging like a crazy women--veins popping out of my neck shouting threats that I knew I couldn't carry out like..."That's it!...Get going or I'll...I'll...I'll send you both to live with Grandma!...FOREVER!! You know how the kids know when your just about at your wits' end; why do we have to get to that point? KID COOPERATION taught me many ways to break this annoying ritual. It was suggested that in order to get my children to change their behavior, I needed to learn how to change mine first! Although it felt awkward at the beginning, many of the tips and strategies in this book are still working. Things are going much better in our house. If you have preschoolers like me, I also recommend taking a look at "The Pocket Parent", a small very practical reference guide with the same philosophy, formatted differently... alphabetically for quick access to "sanity savers" for behaviors like, biting, hitting, interrupting, lying, and whining. Both books have helped me to make positive changes in communicating more effectively with my kids.

Also recommended: THE POCKET PARENT: Hundreds of answers targeted exclusively to parents of 2's, 3's, 4's, & 5's

Thank God for Elizabeth and her wonderful book Kid Cooperation!!
This is a great book with lots of excellent advice on how to achieve cooperation from your children in a way that makes everyone a winner! Elizabeth is clear, straightforward and down to earth, making her book a joy to read.

This book is packed with real-life examples, and also takes into consideration that every family is different, and every child is different. Her advice is simple, and I have found it easy to apply. I loved this book so much not just for it's common sense, but also because the author is, again, down to earth! Her advice is geared to situations that all parents can relate to. I felt as though I was reading about myself!

I recommend this book to anyone who has, or works around children. The fact that it's easy to read makes it so I could get it finished even with an extremely tight schedule. Like I said before, it was an absolute joy to read. I found it enlightening, and I want every parent to know how wonderful this book is in helping with the day-to-day adventures of raising children. My only regret is that I didn't get it even sooner.

This is certainly a must read for parents with children who are less than little angels. Kid Cooperation is a fantastic introduction to parenting and certainly will help in getting your child's attention. My only complaint is that it left several of those "how" and "why" questions lingering. Personally, I wanted more detail about the origins and purpose of these less desirable behaviors. But to be fair, I do not think this was the scope or purpose of Pantley's book.

I think "Systemic Parenting: An Exploration of the Parenting Big Picture" (Gaskill) is an excellent adjunct to "Kid Cooperation." Systemic Parenting covers the broader topic of parenting in great detail - detail missing from Kid Cooperation. However, Pantley's book covers many of the specific issues surrounding these less than desirable behaviors that are only briefly touched upon in Systemic parenting. Both are fantastic resources for adoptive parents and complement each other well.