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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
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Top reviews from the United States

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twelvetoes
5.0 out of 5 stars Then one day a friend recommended Calmer, Easier
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2014
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I own just about every parenting book that has ever been written. Then one day a friend recommended Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting - no doubt sick of me lamenting my unruly children - nine year old daughter and seven year old son. I bought it figuring that it would end up on the bookshelf next to the other ones, but instead it sits on the table by the chair near the window so I can return to it to remind myself of the magic it works. After a day or two of using just a few of the techniques in this book our kids were happier, more cooperative, and there was a general sense of ease and fun within out home. This book doesn't try to change everything overnight. It doesn't try to change your kids, take away their feelings, and make them little automatons who come, sit, and stay. It teaches you how to better understand what your child feels and how to respond to them in a way that makes them want to participate in a respectful manner. I haven't even gotten to the second half of the book, but we're doing so well with what we have implemented that I felt the need to share. The techniques don't even involve sweeping changes to your lifestyle either. They are pretty simple, short conversations and tweaks that show almost immediate results. And it has affected every aspect of their lives. It's not just that they are more compliant, but they are actually happier and more confident and their behavior stems from that, rather than fear of consequences. They are doing better in school and at home. They are calmer, easier, happier people.

It did just the trick for us.
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LadyGoat
5.0 out of 5 stars A great reference
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2019
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I started this book with a free Kindle edition. I quickly realized I would need a hard copy because I wanted to write notes, mark pages, and easily flip between sections, as I use this book a lot. The author lays out simple strategies for easier (not perfect!) parenting that work for our household. I like that the techniques treat children as human beings with specific emotional needs. She stresses the fact that none of these are immediate solutions, but will make life easier, and better over time of consistent use. Whenever I find myself getting frustrated, losing patience, and yelling too much, I turn back to this book to remind myself the calm techniques that make a difference in our household. When I find our children are arguing more, struggling with behavior issues, or being disrespectful, I often find it is because I have not been consistently using these techniques, and once I refer back to the book and put the work in, our household is running smoothly again. I find that this book has made a difference in the way I parent and in the way our household runs. I would recommend it to other parents as a great reference for new strategies that really work.
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AmeliaK
5.0 out of 5 stars skeptical at first, then relieved and delighted after using the advice
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2014
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There is no punishment, shaming or bullying as is the case with many parenting books. The examples of how kids might react to the techniques are very realistic (grousing, eye-rolling, sassing) so the author doesn't sugar-coat, but she does guide the parent on how to respond in a way that is respectful and dignified to both parent and child.
I see how it's possible to use the techniques in a cold, domineering way and maybe it's possible to do that with any technique. After some thought and experimentation, I was able to adapt the techniques to my own style where I strive for warmth, authenticity and kindness while still being firm about standards of behavior. For example, part of my style is to avoid "rules" to be mindlessly followed, but rather we have expectations, values and principles such as finding solutions that work for everybody, or making sure we clean up after ourselves, or safety is paramount.
One thing she doesn't tackle in this book or even provide references for is how to keep your own reactivity in check. But, that's okay because there are many other books that contain advice about that.
This isn't the one and only book you should have about parenting, but it should be part of your top 20 to round out your toolbox on how to parent in a gentle, affectionate way toward raising cooperative, independent kids.
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az4692
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2018
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Good book, although my partner wishes is was half as long. Provides steps for better communication with the child. I was recommended this by my aunt and cousin, and I see how the implementation of the techniques described herein has improved both mine and my child's behavior. The "mine" part may seem silly, but it has changed my perspective on some things, which has definitely made me calmer in this parenting endeavor.
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KT
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for better communication with your child.
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2019
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Great book with excellent ideas. If you're able to maintain your cool and utilize the advice, you see wonderful results in your child(ren) very quickly. Helps communicate with your child, make them feel useful, grownup and confident. They in turn communicate better with you.

Or if you can't keep your cool: You read it and know what you should be doing, but you don't work it longer than a couple weeks, and then you just feel worse about yourself, and spiral into a thought-hole at 3am about what an awful parent you are, and wonder if your kid is going to need therapy one day.

I'm sure you'll be fine.
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Noriah
5.0 out of 5 stars and my sons behavior and his love for me
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2016
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This book has opened my eyes to everything I was doing wrong in parenting child I THOUGHT had ADHD. it has drastically changed my understanding, methods, and my sons behavior and his love for me :)
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Vinegar Strokes
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every dollar.
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
Great book with a ton of useful tips and knowledge for new parents. To this day my wife and I use what we learned from this book. If you want easier parenting, this book is a must read.
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Tanya Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars Best parenting book ever!
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
worked with my 11 and 13 year old who are both at that very moody stage of their teen years :) It is also the first book that my husband was able to put into practice without much trouble. A must read for every parent, teacher (I am a teacher), caregiver, and grandparent!
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Top reviews from other countries

The Oracle
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, useful and gives results.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2019
Verified Purchase
Such a good book around parenting without shouting, threatening or getting worked up!!
I got this from the library when looking for ways to say 'yes' more to my 4 yr old step daughter, and to build a better working relationship with her and my partner.

This book gives actual concrete techniques to use in all circumstances, designed to get the behaviour you want from your child as often as possible. The result is that you have a much better interaction with your children, you like each other more and everyone gets to do much more fun things together.

I'm so pleased I've now bought this on Kindle, and I also found a book about smacking from the same author.
Very, very highly recommended.
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lisa burgess
5.0 out of 5 stars Calimg Lifesaver
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2018
Verified Purchase
Instantly calmed me because I realised there were effective techniques to combat all the negative behaviour. A very useful tool. There was a great improvement in my childs behaviour the first day but then a big lapse when the Descriptive Praise wained. It's more of a behavioural lifestyle change, learning a new way to communicate with your child. If I was in the UK, I would visit the author's Family Centre in London, too.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book packed with really useful tips managing your family
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
Brilliant book packed with really useful tips managing your family! Honestly, if you think you are not getting anywhere with your kids, nagging, bribing, reasoning even shouting doesn't work, try this!
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Stacey Bristow
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for every parent!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2019
Verified Purchase
I bought this book after reading an interview with Helena Bonham Carter where she explained this book changed her life. She is not wrong. A must read for any parent. The only way I can see the techniques not working is if you don’t put the time in to read the book and put it into practice. I noticed a change in my children as soon as I started the descriptive praise. It was instant. I havent read all the chapters but I’m very impressed and wouldn’t be without it. Buy it! You will not be disappointed.
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Charlotte Bowles
5.0 out of 5 stars I've only just started reading this but it makes a ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
I've only just started reading this but it makes a lot of sense to me so far. I've been trying the first techniques and my daughter has noticed that already the mood is changing in our household. I hope it will continue to help make relationships calmer and stronger
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