Tag Archives: parenting

Apr21

Up: A Mother and Daughter’s Peakbagging Adventure by Patricia Ellis Herr

Posted on by
Standard
Up: A Mother and Daughter’s Peakbagging Adventure by Patricia Ellis Herr

Herr, Patricia Ellis. Up: A Mother and Daughter’s Peakbagging Adventure. Crown, 2012. ISBN 978-0307952073 256 pp. $

*****

When Herr’s 5-year-old daughter Alex fell in love with hiking, mother and daughter set a goal to hike all of New Hampshire’s 4,000 ft peaks. Herr thought it would take years, but it took considerably less, due to Alex’s boundless energy, enthusiasm and upbeat attitude.

Along the way, there are many conflicts, ranging from unpredictable weather to attitudes of hikers who don’t think kids belong on mountains to angry grouse on the trail. Mother and daughter persevere, and it’s an opportunity for a homeschooling mom to impart life lessons that instill a sense of pride in Alex.

This recounting of the adventure of conquering many mountains is highly engaging and inspiring. Herr is a wonderful storyteller, and chapters are well constructed, building upon one another. I couldn’t put it down, and figure if a 5-year old can climb mountains, I can walk an hour a day.

Aug21

Raising a Thinking Preteen: The “I Can Problem Solve” Program for 8- to 12- Year-Olds by Myrna B. Shure, Roberta Israeloff

Posted on by
Standard
Raising a Thinking Preteen: The “I Can Problem Solve” Program for 8- to 12- Year-Olds by Myrna B. Shure, Roberta Israeloff

Shure, Myrna B. and Roberta Israeloff. Raising a Thinking Preteen: The “I Can Problem Solve” Program for 8- to 12- Year-Olds. Holt, 2001. ISBN 978-0805066425 272 pp. $19.99

****

Developmental psychologist Shure shares her method of encouraging kids to think for themselves, by learning and mastering a specific set of skills to become good problem solvers, make good decisions, and resolve conflict. Chapters discuss the wrong ways of parenting (explaining, suggesting, and overpowering) and recommends parents try the problem solving approach. Shure offers games to play to develop skills in such as thinking about how other people are feeling, recognizing conflicting emotion, planning alternative solutions, planning in a sequence, and considering consequences. A quiz at the end offers additional ways to test and hone these skills.

At the beginning, Shute states that children must learn pro-social behaviors. Social withdrawal is not something one outgrows, and encourages adults to draw out the wallflower, loner types. Parental involvement is key.

Examples were always very clear, but sometimes the answers seemed too perfect. Not every child is a textbook case. Most of the book focuses on three different children, and more cases or different types of children might have been included. Still the premise is good, modeling behavior is recommended, and the techniques appear to work.

All of the studies she cites are 13-18 years old, a point of concern, and the book loses a bit of credibility. However, the ICPS method is supposed to very good for kids with ADHD, a current hot topic. Updated research would lend more authority to the work. She frequently makes reference to colleagues with giving much explanation of their work, a minor frustration. References are cited at the end in a bibliography oddly divided by chapter, but without numbered or detailed notes. The author kindly includes her own mailing address, email address and URL for questions, concern and feedback.

Not having any children of my own to test Shure’s theories out on, I hope to put them to use in dealing with some of the young adults I work with. Frustrated parents may find this book works for them; stock it in your parent teacher section.