By Kay Wills Wyma
Waterbrook Press, $14.99, 192 pages
Not everyone deserves a trophy for everything. Cleaning House takes a hard look at the entitlement issues facing parents today, and then how to disassemble them. It works to replace the self-esteem classes and programs (that in fact limit children as they grow up), with real self-esteem that won’t falter when it is tested.
This book is some great reading for parents looking to break a child away from the false esteem taught in our schools, where everyone is given a trophy just for participating. Solid advice is given for re-integrating chores, preparing the child for real-life work, and other milestones. The tone is usually informal, with some backing from research and other sources integrated into the conversation. Better yet, are the examples of Wyma’s own children, used to show where the problems lie and how to avoid them – a system that can be easily adapted to almost any child-raising method, and one that allows for a wide variety of solutions. In short, this is a book that belongs on the bookshelf of any parent looking to help raise the esteem of their child, and do so the right way.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim
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