Reviews

Books

Help your child to succeed by Bill Lucas and Alistair smith (Network Educational Press, £6.95)

Too many 'helpful guides' for parents fall between two stools - the heavy, academic, brain-busting tomes that treat all mums and dads as amateur psychologists and social workers, and the twee, patronising fluff that assumes no parent has an ounce of common sense.

Thankfully, Help your child to succeed manages to plough a healthy furrow right through the middle, providing a mixture of activities, games, tips and suggestions for helping you help your child.

Attractively designed, it's a book that you can work your way through or simply dip into when you need some help or inspiration. Even experienced parents with hordes of children will find things they didn't know, and there are fresh ideas for dealing with common problems and challenges in parenting.

Whether it's spotting signs of stress, managing TV intake, helping your child learn or encouraging good discipline and self-control, there's plenty of value here. At times it gets a little worthy and politically correct - the illustrations have clearly been done to include just about every nationality you can think of, plus lots of trendy young parents - but it's thoughtful, treats family life as the mixed bag it clearly is in the third millenium, and you'll find it at times invaluable.

Recommended.

Russ Bravo (Director of CFN, and married with three children aged 7, 13 and 15)

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		Books Help your child to succeed by Bill Lucas and Alistair smith (Network Educational Press, £6.95) Too many 'helpful guides' for parents fall between two stools - the heavy, academic, brain-busting tomes that treat all mums and dads as amateur psychologists and social workers, and the twee, patronising fluff that assumes no parent has an ounce of common sense. Thankfully, Help your child to succeed manages to plough a healthy furrow right through the middle, providing a mixture of activities, games, tips and suggestions for helping you help your child. Attractively designed, it's a book that you can work your way through or simply dip into when you need some help or inspiration. Even experienced parents with hordes of children will find things they didn't know, and there are fresh ideas for dealing with common problems and challenges in parenting. Whether it's spotting signs of stress, managing TV intake, helping your child learn or encouraging good discipline and self-control, there's plenty of value here. At times it gets a little worthy and politically correct - the illustrations have clearly been done to include just about every nationality you can think of, plus lots of trendy young parents - but it's thoughtful, treats family life as the mixed bag it clearly is in the third millenium, and you'll find it at times invaluable. Recommended. Russ Bravo (Director of CFN, and married with three children aged 7, 13 and 15) © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.