Jaclyn’s Review: Parenting Toward Solutions by Linda Metcalf

Parenting Toward Solutions
written by Linda Metcalf
published by Prentice Hall, 1996

find it here: (affiliate links) Amazon, Goodreads

Did I enjoy this book? I love self-help books, and I’m constantly looking for ways to improve myself. I’ve read a lot of parenting books. This one grabbed my attention because I feel like I yell too much, and I would love a way to interact with my kids in a more positive manner. This book talks a big game but doesn’t deliver. I’m yelling at my kids in between each sentence that I type (cabin fever is REAL, y’all!). It’s amazing how quickly some professionals can still pass off actual medical issues like ADHD or ODD and simply tell you to be “more consistent” in applying consequences. I’m not looking for a magic potion, but it would be nice to read a book that actually understands the day-to-day challenges and provides tangible suggestions. The only good piece of information I got from this entire book is that I need to stop searching all of my children’s behaviors to find the “why.” By nature, children are little unpredictable things and their behavior does not always make sense. As a data-driven person, I have a really hard time accepting this, but I do believe it to be true. Back to the book . . . it was not worth the read. I just gave you the only useful thing in the entire book.

Would I recommend it? No, there are a TON of self-help books out there and a billion of books on parenting. This book was glib and dismissive, and nobody has time for that!
 

 

About the book – from Goodreads: Based on Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, a counseling model that focuses on times when a specific problem does not occur instead of why it happens, this remarkable new resource helps parents learn how to change their relationships with their children, so children may be empowered to solve their own problems.

 

 

 

* This post contains affiliate links.

** This post first appeared on Every Free Chance Books (everyfreechance.com) on March 31, 2020.