Superpowers for Parents - Dr Stephen Briers

*Review first appeared as an Amazon Vine review I wrote early 2009* It must have been sheer luck that "Superpowers for Parents" ended up on my recommended list. Of all the books on psychology and parenting, this has to be considered a standout piece. I teach self defence to children and through my studies and coaching experience I have found that building the right attitude is by far the most efficient way for children to learn. Dr. Briers' excellent new book is completely in line with my approach to teaching, which is refreshing as the self defence world - much like the parenting/psychology world - is still very much in reactive mode. This is in the ...  Read the complete review

This book does not give parents superpowers! I read the blurb for the book and thought it sounded quite intriguing, being an occasional user of the naughty step/area technique, I was interested in reading how to avoid this altogether, as the book claims. To start with the book has an introduction, that goes into an introduction, into an introduction... it was continuously stating "in this book I aim to do this", "the aim of the book is this", "in this book I hope to equip you with", etc, etc, to the point where I'm thinking well get on with giving me these "superpowers" then instead of just talking about ...  Read the complete review

IDEAS BEHIND THIS BOOK: I can't recommend this book highly enough. Its aim is to help parents to understand the emotions and impulses that hold court in childrens' minds and hearts, so that by interacting with their children in different ways, the parents can equip the children with the tools to develop self control, self esteem and happiness. In turn, this will lead to better behaviour as children will be more able to cope with the confusion and unhappiness which often leads to them acting up. This is a fantastic idea, as not only will it reduce bad behaviour, it will also help children to feel better about themselves, which benefits both them and ...  Read the complete review