The One-Minute Scoldng

Very effective. I used it on my daughter when she was 4 y.o., now 8, and it has really worked. I liked that it got the point across of why she was being scolded and at the same time it ended in a very positive way. In such a way that I even became closer to my child and she felt better about herself. Come to think of it, nowadays, I hardly even need to scold her.

This was one of two books that made a big impact on me as a parent. (The other was "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen.") I was determined not to go down the path of screaming and smacking, but that is easier said than done. When I lose it, it's generally because I feel like I'm in a corner and have to do SOMEthing--even if it's wrong. With "The One Minute Scolding," I always knew what to do. I wasn't tempted to keep threatening instead of taking action, since it only took one minute.You need to follow the directions--there's a joke around my house about the "10-minute scolding," because sometimes we would get carried away. But believe me, one minute is longer than it sounds--long enough to make a real impact on a child. It also forces you to pay attention and "catch" your kids doing something right, so you can mention it during the next One-Minute Scolding. The best thing about the One-Minute Scolding is that it never makes things worse. Sometimes it works like a charm; other times, it has less impact. However, it never escalates things. That in itself is a blessing. Buy a used copy if you can, and I hope this book goes back in print, because it's much needed. I see the author has some newer books out ("The One-Minute Mother" and "The One-Minute Father"). I haven't read them, but if it's by Spencer Johnson, how bad can it be?Good luck, parents!

The message of this book, stated concisely, is reprimand the child first, then say something positive. It's hard to remember to do this when you are emotionally involved, but it works.If you have a naturalistic philosophy, you might be interested in this book. I read somewhere that adult apes deal with misbehaving juveniles by cuffing them first, then hugging them.

This book is full of common sense skills for discipling children of all ages... all the while working to raise the self esteem of both child and parents. Helped me teach my out of control preschooler self-discipline. He is now a resposible adult. I thank Dr Nelson for writing this great book.