Positive Discipline, the book

Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen, Ed.D. has sat on my bookshelf for 3 years now, and every time I looked at it I could hear the voice of my friend who gave it to me, "This is a great book. It'll really change the way you discipline your kids."

Three years later, I am finally reading it and am proud to say I am half-way through it. And if I could, I would place it in your hands personally and repeat the words of my friend, "This is a great book. It'll really change the way you discipline your kids."

There are two scare factors that turned me off from this book, one, that it is severely lacking in pictures, the #1 reason why I hesitated reading it in the first place, and two, the title seems so, well, strict. Discipline? Positive?

And my other reason for procrastinating reading was my assumption that Positive Discipline was about compliments and praise, proding the child along without really getting to the core of the problem. This is not the case. Positive Discipline gives solid advice from experts in their fields on how to relate to children in order to build trust, understanding, and the desire to do things on their own.

Once I started turning the pages of the 183 page book, I have gained insight and wisdom and confidence in teaching and training and encouraging my kids to do their responsibilities. Nagging, frustration, time outs, and raised voices have been drastically reduced in our household. I believe the main reason for this is that through what I have learned in Positive Discipline , there is much more understanding between me and my children.

Positive Discipline is stashed full of ideas, and one that has stuck out to me is the question, "Why do we feel we have to make our children feel worse, before they can be better?" Do you ever feel like being a better person after you've been made to feel worse?

If you are like me and wish to have children who actually do what you ask them to do, and would like to have a happier home, do yourself and your whole family a favor and get this book. I'm positive you'll be happy you did.