Lifeskills for Adult Children :: Education by Design Store

Editorial Review

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Adult Children of Alcoholics -- a wonderful book that affirms and encourages AcoAs by developing skills for living.

Imagine how good you would feel if:

You could stand up for yourself without losing your temper
You could make a decision without second guessing yourself
You didn't have that sense of worthlessness every time someone criticized you
You could learn how to say no and stick with it

In Lifeskills for Adult Children you can learn how to do these things and more. This book is designed specifically for Adult Children and teaches skills to make your complex adult life easier, while improving your sense of self-worth. Examples are provided to help clarify the lessons and exercises are given to help you practice your new skills.

So, if you have difficulty:

Asking for what you want
Solving problems
Handling criticism
Saying no

read Lifeskills for Adult Children - you'll be glad you did.

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Customer Reviews

Not enough detail for my taste

2003-01-26
I'm a veteran of the "adult child" genre, and as I was reading this book, I found myself thinking that other books in my library covered this ground much more effectively for my taste. I found the tone of this volume somewhat simplistic and the sample person-to-person interactions a bit forced (which I suppose is the point), but that made it hard for me to relate to them or imagine myself carrying out the sample exercises.

Personally, I got a lot more out of _Adult Children of Abusive Parents_ by Steven Farmer, which deals with many of the same topics but uses far more detail and more real-life examples I could believe actually happened, and that made a big difference in whether I felt able to take the advice to heart. (Details ARE important to me, and I felt like _Lifeskills_ was light on them: My copy may be 200 pages long, but it uses a suspiciously large font and liberal line spacing -- only 28 lines to a page.)

There's also a curious convention _Lifeskills_ uses -- three small stylized icons of a man tilting back a bottle of wine, which are used as section separators! Given that many "adult children" have one or more alcoholic parents, this really made me cringe.

If you've never read any other books in this genre, this is probably an OK place to start. I just found that with some other books on this topic I'd read, I got more "bang for the buck."

An Invaluable Resource 2000-04-15
"Lifeskills" is one of those books everyone should own. It deals with the personality traits inherent in those from dysfunctional families (primarily, children of alcoholics) and presents "normal" functioning skills which children of alcoholics often do not learn. Even if one is not a product of an alcoholic environment, this book gives an excellent view of healthy, "normal" responses to life's daily situations.

Life Skills for Adult Children by Janet G. Woititz 2008-07-17
This is a great book for Adult Children of Alcoholics. One of the shared characteristics I've learned about adult children is a yearning for what is "normal". This book helps to know how to 'pick up the many broken pieces' and learn how to move on from the childhood life-style we were brought up in and relearn what is normal. I've read another book by the same author and have enjoyed the amazing insight she brings to light. I would hightly recommend Adult Children of Alcoholics expanded edition. It tells about the several characteristics identifiable statics that so many of Adult Children have in common --- it is amazing! A couple of other reads I would recommend and have found very insightful are:

YOUR PERFECT RIGHT: Assertiveness and Equality in Your Life and Relationships (9th Edition) by Robert E. Alberti and Michael L. Emmons
(Excellent book on how to be Assertive ---not passive or aggressive.)

BOUNDARIES by Cloud/Townsend --- When to say YES, When to say NO, To take Control of Your Life
(A must read book-- it helped change my life). We all need boundaries in our life and this book helps in many ways, but a couple that stand out are "the freedom to have our own thoughts and opinions, and how to deal with our own emotions and disengage from the harmful, manipulative emotions of others".

Because of Janet G. Woititz and her many years of studies in the area of Ault Children and her writings on these topics to the public as well as other colleages in her field, I have been greatly helped and on the road to recovery!

Good beginning 2008-06-19
debated over the purchase of this book for several months before I decided to purchase this book thanks to the previous reviews. I was not as impressed once I began to read it. But for those who are just beginning to research why they are adult children it will do.

Excellent help for ACOAs 2008-06-15
This book was very helpful in helping recover as a ACOA. It was Insightful as to what I can do to change behaviors that I have learned becuase i lived with Alcoholic parents.

Very practical 2007-02-08
The skills taught in this book can be used from the day I read it.
Although there is enough number of books analyzing abuse, this book is different because it is so helpful in coping with life for adult children like me.

"Excellent " 2005-09-11
For years I have struggled with poor social and communication skills which caused me great frustration. This book was written for people like myself who have grown up in the shadows of alcoholism and consequently did not develop some key life skills as a result of the alcoholic environment. This book is a must read. it is thoroughly well written, with examples and instructions on how to develop the life skills needed. i especially liked the chapter that focused on conversation clues, which gives scenarios that can be used in everyday life. Wonderful!!