Your Five-Year-Old: Sunny and Serene

This book was recently brought to my attention during a problem between my son and his preschool teacher. It has brought great light to the issues and I have information now to better understand my son's behavior, for which we now know is "normal and age-appropriate." Cudos!! I'd suggest getting one of these books for every age of your child to better understand behaviors.

Although some of the passages in this book and it's companion volumes are quite dated, it is still one of the most helpful parenting books that I have found in 25 years of teaching preschoolers. Many parents through the years have breathed a sigh of relief after reading these books which start with "Your One Year Old" and go all the way up to "Your Ten to Fourteen Year Old".

When I gave birth, I hoped the manual would have popped out right after the baby, alas,I was wrong. We used The What to expect books until they no longer covered our age group. A local bookstore suggested Dr. Ames' books and they have been a GOD SEND! These books are the best from 2 to 5 so far they have been right on the money...Our son turns six in March and we are buying the 6 book tomorrow. My husband & I can not think of any other book(s) that has been more helpful or informative, than those written by Dr. Ames. Kudos to her and her easy to digest books.

This entire series of books in very insightful. It is very helpful as a parent to get the "heads up" that these books provide. The questions of "what is going with my kid?" and "when will it end?" are answered leaving you with the feeling that you actually know what you are doing!

When you know what behaviors are "normal" for your child's age you can relax, stop the worry, and focus on appropriate solutions. This whole series of books accurately defines the ages and stages of children. These books keep your expectations realistic and allow you to avoid anger caused by a lack of understanding of your child's developmental stages.