my take: i know, it’s a wordy title … and one of the best books on parenting i’ve read. reading the happiness project i was reminded of this most excellent work … and dug it out and re-read it. my youngest children are 15 & 17 … and boy, oh, boy (yep, both of ’em) do i need to brush up on my skills. as with all parenting books, you take the tips that work for you and dump the rest of the info. there are some real gems in this one! plus, some of the illustrations are in cartoon form, so you can just look at the pictures. nice for the weary parent.

my biggest take away this time: listening skills … the boys don’t talk as much as my girls did so i hound them with questions. adele and elaine have great ideas! biggest take away last time: empathize. all good stuff.

my source: patricia doyle loaned me this book years ago and i still have her copy. guilty! and THANK YOU! i’m purchasing several from amazon to loan around.

recommend: must read for parents

rating: A (even though the cover isn’t fabulous)

genre: nonfiction, self-help