Jeanetta A. reviewed On Becoming Childwise: Parenting Your Child from 3-7 Years (On Becoming. . .) on
Helpful Score: 1
(This is Mrs. Malcolm A. speaking:)
I disagree strongly with Myriah K's review-parents are not abandoning their children by putting them on a schedule. Our bodies were designed to function on a schedule-think about the next time you start to get hungry-it is usually about the same time every day. I have read the book and the Ezzo's are not about rigid, uncompromising, cruel neglect- they help you to understand the need to GUIDE your child into a regular pattern of eating, sleeping, playing, and waking. A child who cries for a while after being put down for a nap is not going to die, or be emotionally scarred for life, as some would have us to believe. Of course a child will have a little tantrum when you are trying to change his routine and he is already happy with what he has been used to. But what we are dealing with here is the fact that we are trying to do what is best for our child, even if we have to put up with some discomfort for a while. If we are parents who love our child, we want to do what is best for him, and that occasions times when we have to do or not do things that are not fun. A child who learns early to obey, doesn't get burnt when he is older. Do you give your child cany everytime he wants it? No, that would be foolish and unwise, and that is the whole point-the Ezzos are not recommending cold-hearted neglect of our child's wants and needs, but trying to help us understand when it is that it is truly a NEED and not just a WANT. I have eight children, and my youngest child is the only one that I have ever put on a schedule, and it has been so great because I don't feel like baby is controlling everything and everyone else is wondering when she will be hungry next, or when naptime is, etc. Boundaries are where real freedom lies, not chaos. Yes, there are times when things are not totally 'by the book' and things need to be revised once in a while, as in all of life, but this book helps you to get on track, and know your baby's needs, so that when he is sick, or unhappy, or wants a little extra attention, you can tune in to it a lot better, instead of just automatically assuming that it is time to feed him AGAIN when you have just fed him several times already in the last 2 hours. Give it a try. You'll be pleasantly suprised at how quickly your baby catches on and develops a very happy disposition.
I disagree strongly with Myriah K's review-parents are not abandoning their children by putting them on a schedule. Our bodies were designed to function on a schedule-think about the next time you start to get hungry-it is usually about the same time every day. I have read the book and the Ezzo's are not about rigid, uncompromising, cruel neglect- they help you to understand the need to GUIDE your child into a regular pattern of eating, sleeping, playing, and waking. A child who cries for a while after being put down for a nap is not going to die, or be emotionally scarred for life, as some would have us to believe. Of course a child will have a little tantrum when you are trying to change his routine and he is already happy with what he has been used to. But what we are dealing with here is the fact that we are trying to do what is best for our child, even if we have to put up with some discomfort for a while. If we are parents who love our child, we want to do what is best for him, and that occasions times when we have to do or not do things that are not fun. A child who learns early to obey, doesn't get burnt when he is older. Do you give your child cany everytime he wants it? No, that would be foolish and unwise, and that is the whole point-the Ezzos are not recommending cold-hearted neglect of our child's wants and needs, but trying to help us understand when it is that it is truly a NEED and not just a WANT. I have eight children, and my youngest child is the only one that I have ever put on a schedule, and it has been so great because I don't feel like baby is controlling everything and everyone else is wondering when she will be hungry next, or when naptime is, etc. Boundaries are where real freedom lies, not chaos. Yes, there are times when things are not totally 'by the book' and things need to be revised once in a while, as in all of life, but this book helps you to get on track, and know your baby's needs, so that when he is sick, or unhappy, or wants a little extra attention, you can tune in to it a lot better, instead of just automatically assuming that it is time to feed him AGAIN when you have just fed him several times already in the last 2 hours. Give it a try. You'll be pleasantly suprised at how quickly your baby catches on and develops a very happy disposition.
