Desperate and depressed, I picked up this book. Its titled seemed like too much to hope for, but it promised a concrete program with "homework" assignments that would give me new parenting skills week by week. Now, several weeks later, we are a changed family. The techniques that Windell teaches are so specific and so effective that you will begin to see results almost immediately. For the first time, an author addressed MY personality as a parent (I was definitely an "Active Intervener"!). Of course I knew that I didn't want to spank my children, but had anyone ever really told me HOW not to and still get results? Not until this book. Yes, I had used time-outs and positive reinforcement, but not with any lasting effects, until this book told me EXACTLY how, when, and why, and just as importantly how NOT and when NOT to use those techniques.

Now my tirades are down, their compliance is up, we are communicating, and everyone is happier. I am so proud of all of us! I thank this author and recommend this book wholeheartedly to ANY parent, especially those who don't believe in corporal punishment and need guidance on how to achieve other methods of effective discipline.


This book is a useful guide for both parents and teachers.   April 23, 1998
While I was immediately turned off by the seemingly impossible title of this book, I soon found it to be one of the most beneficial books on this subject I have read. As a teacher in an alternative high school and the parent children with disabilities and disorders, this book gave me a clear framework to guide me in making the most of the time I have with both my students and my sons.

If you are looking for a way to "fix" your child, this book won't help you unless you are willing to make some changes. It puts the responsibility for making things in your family or classroom work firmly back in your hands, where it belongs. You are given explanations and examples which ring true. The chapter summaries and "Homework" assignments help keep you on course toward your goal of helping to form socially acceptable behavior in the children for whom you are responsible.