Good Discipline, Great Teens :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Great support for raising great teens

2008-06-30
Dr. Ray Guarendi uses his trademark humor sprinkled with a little sarcasm to give those of us who are barely treading water trying to raise our teens good, sound, logical advice. The book is in question and answer format and this reader found many questions in the book to be those on the very tip of my tongue. My teens, when they saw me reading the book, said "Oh no! Dr. Ray! We're going down!" all in good fun because even they respect Dr. Ray and have never had any luck in refuting any of his reasoning (though they have tried and tried). The best part about this book is Dr. Ray's reinforcement of the necessity of discipline throughout the teen years and his consistent reminder that parents should not feel guilty maintaining authority in the home during these years even when doing so feels like a continuous struggle. He is also the master of helping us keep our senses of humor throughout the entire process. The only thing better than reading Dr. Ray's book would be to have him move in and raise my teens for me.

Dr. Ray is great!

2008-02-08
I love Dr. Ray! He gives practical advice and injects a lot of humor into his writing so is also very entertaining. Respect and consistency are key in raising kids, whether they're toddlers or teens, and Dr. Ray gives great examples for how to sensibly handle many situations parents of teens are likely to encounter.

You, too, can raise a one-in-a-hundred kid

2007-08-28
Author Raymond N. Guarendi, Ph.D., ("Dr. Ray") is a clinical psychologist and father of 10, who is a nationally known speaker and regular guest on such TV shows as CBS This Morning and Oprah.

Dr. Ray is very clear about his support for parental authority and discipline, yet presents his opinions in a gentle fashion, softened by self-deprecation and humor. The question and answer format, with individual descriptive titles and bold pull quotes on most pages, is a quick indicator that this work is based on solid, common sense combined with clinical experience and practical suggestions. Of those, my favorite is the response he suggests for parents whose kids expect parental gratitude because "I'm not on drugs. " As cultural morals decline," writes Dr. Ray, "it becomes easier to feel satisfied that one is comparatively moral." Nonetheless, parents need not be swayed by this argument. Tell them this, Dr. Ray says: "I am grateful. I could be a lot worse. After all, I don't neglect you or mistreat you. And I'm not on drugs."

In addition to teen-specific topics such as dating, smoking, cell phones, and curfews, Dr. Ray writes of parental authority, consistent discipline, respect within families, communication, and responsibility, all of which can be taught initially in the toddler years. And on the other side of the teen years, he asks parents to look into the future, when their child is 22. Most families and most teens turn out all right, he says, but to have a one-in-a-hundred twenty-something, "then you will need to be a one-in-a-hundred parent." This latest of Dr. Ray's books overflows with ideas for accomplishing that.