Book Review: The Well Behaved Child

The Well-Behaved Child: Discipline that Really Works! by John Rosemond is a book of old-school parenting techniques re-explained for the modern parent. It spells out practical advice for a broad range of disciplinary issues and promises tangible results. Some of the ideas are simple; some are far-fetched. But the bottom line of establishing an alpha-parent approach to parenting is invaluable.

If this book consisted only of Chapter Two (The Seven Fundamentals of Effective Discipline), it would be worth the read. In fact, it would be worth it to read this chapter monthly until everything sinks in. The subsequent chapters are a little more difficult to follow because it’s easy to get lost in questions of “Which technique do I apply to my personal situation?” The real-life examples are inspiring, but they don’t always translate well into your own personal life. Plus, my children are younger (all under 6), so I felt some of the recommendations would work better for older children.

I think that this book is a great addition to any parent’s library, especially if you have an older child who is having a specific disciplinary problem. For those with younger children, buy it for Chapter Two alone, and maybe you can avoid needing the rest of the recommendations all together.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”