Loving without Spoiling : And 100 Other Timeless Tips for Raising Terrific Kids

Busy parents of toddlers to teens will get a lot out of Nancy Samalin's Loving Without Spoiling. The book offers 100 mini how-to chapters on a vast array of parenting issues, such as stopping whining, streamlining morning routines, encouraging honesty, and making an uninterrupted phone call. The information is not in-depth and is occasionally culled from other parenting tomes, but the book is an easy read and an excellent jumping-off point for parents looking for new solutions to any number of age-old problems.

Samalin has been leading parenting workshops for the past 25 years. Many examples and much of the good advice presented in the book are drawn from the experience of the parents in these classes, as well as from her own family. Samalin recognizes the intense love that leads parents to make their children happy at the risk of encouraging self-centered, spoiled, even bratty behavior. Loving Without Spoiling focuses on helping parents to exercise their authority and raise well-behaved children without being too strict or squashing a child's spirit. Samalin's frequent advice is for parents to let children take responsibility for themselves, particularly in managing their relationships with siblings and friends, as well as in hot-button arenas like eating and doing homework. Samalin advocates letting children make their own food choices, do their own homework, and learn from experience. She doesn't counsel parents to let children be in charge, but rather reminds us that making mistakes is a necessary part of learning and that fostering learning is a tremendous part of a parent's job. --Jennifer Lindsay