The importance of RESPECT
It is always written about how children just don't show respect in this day and age. Well, to give respect, children need to receive respect and have respect modeled to them. What an eye opener! A very easy read with lots of priceless information!

If only we were all raised this way
Respect and co-operation between parents and children - sounds impossible doesn't it?? This book is very well written and gives really meaningful instructions for developing compassionate communication with your own children and others. Really makes you think about how you communicate with your children and points you in the direction of how to fulfill both yours and your childrens' needs without experiencing conflict!
A very useful tool

Philosophical Conundrum
I have followed the principles in this book as well as other NVC books and love the quality of connection I have with my kids (ages 5 and 2). However, now that my older son is in Kindergarten, we're dealing with a huge problem. The teacher has 24 kids in the class and does not have time to negotiate and find a win-win solution with each one. My son is getting in trouble almost every day for not following directions (i.e. clean up when everyone is cleaning up, not on his own schedule)and is starting to feel like a bad kid. Now I feel like we have to re-parent in some ways using a more 'love-and-logic' approach. I never wanted to be the kind of parent who says, "Do it because I said so." But I now realize that kids need to learn to follow the rules so that they themselves can be happier in society. We now do a lot of talking about what a 'team player' does. This is a great book but for me, it's missing the piece about teaching your kids to follow the rules, because that's how school, work and much of society work. It's wonderful for a parent and child to respect each other equally but this needs to be balanced with the idea that kid's individual needs (or anyone's for that matter) often cannot be accommodated. The philosophical conundrum for me is when to be the NVC parent and when to be the parent who says, "If you're a member of this family, this is what we do (i.e. sit down all together for dinner)." I guess the perfect parenting approach is eclectic; borrowing a little from each theory.

A+ parenting book!
Anyone with kids knows that it isn't always easy to get your kids to "cooperate". But in the novel guidebook Respectful Parents Respectful Kids, the authors probe parents to ask themselves, what do you mean by "cooperation", "respect" and other expectations you have for your children? The handbook provides seven easy to follow keys for turning family conflict into cooperation. Written exercises help parents explore their own communication skills, emotional and physical needs, and problem areas in regards to parenting. As the authors write, this book "addresses the only behavior you can actually change - your own". The book exposes why culturally accepted forms of parenting - lecturing, advising, making demands - don't usually work. Then they provide a solution, based on the fact that at the heart of every conflict is a communication of needs.

The book is organized into three parts. 1) Foundations for Respect and Cooperation; 2) 7 Keys to Cooperation; and 3) Family Activities and Stories from the No Fault Zone. Non violent communication is a foundation of the book, and other Puddle Dancer Press books elaborate on the core ideas presented in this book. Don't pass on this useful handbook, which teaches that respecting all family members' needs equally will lead to a healthy, happy home.

This book will change your household for the better!
I can say from experience that communicating with children can be hard work. This book gave me great communication tools to motivate, instead of discipline, kids. And that's what we all want, right? We want kids to choose to do what we want them to do on their own, not be punished into complying. This book unlocked some of the mysteries surrounding ineffective parenting - and explains why the most common parenting tactics, and common parenting language, don't work. I tried them out already, and have noticed results! I now have a formula for cooperation! The book is a good balance though (I do not like child centered parenting where the parents become the door mats!) - and emphasizes that parents need to meet their needs first. Otherwise, parenting will fail, and really, the only person you can control is yourself. This book explains why changing your own behavior will result in positive behavior from your kids. There are "explore yourself" written exercise, where you explore how you truly feel, and what is really going on in your household, and in your emotional life in relation to parenting. The written exercise really revealed things about myself and my relationship to my children. The book is based on non violent communication and emphasizes compassion. I trust experts that are coming from that perspective. I've already recommended this to some of the parents in my daughter's play group. Everyone can use the great advice from the experts who wrote Respectful Parents Respectful Kids.