The Bottom Line
In times when horror stories of war, tsunamis, and children left homeless and hungry worldwide is in the news daily, it's no wonder that child's fears and nightmares sometimes seem to be coming true. These events, combined with the sometimes difficult years involving the world of school, adolescence, acceptance, and trauma, parents need to do more than just listen and reassure their kids. This book offers solid advice in a straightforward and helpful fashion.
Pros
- Timely topic for today's turbulent news
- Presented from both a clinical and a father's viewpoint
- Good use of scenarios and stories to help readers' understand issues and ways to address concerns
Cons
- The book is not a "joyful reading" nor it is intended to be--it provides straightforward advice.
Description
- Helps parents to better understand childhood fears and the emotions behind them.
- Helps parents find ways to have kids to open up and talk more about their feelings.
- Reveals the power of listening and open communication between parent and child.
- Tells how to develop coping skills kids will need throughout their life.
Guide Review - Listening to Fear
I'll have to admit that I wasn't initially over-enthused about this book...that is, until I started reading it. Then, I couldn't put it down until I had read through it all. The topic could not be more timely with all the truly scary issues that are gripping our world today. I liked how the book dealt with trauma, fears and coping on a variety of issues, and provided different chapters tailoring to the differing needs and concerns of children by age. After all, a child's fears at age 3 are much different than those in the tumultuous times of adolescence. The book is organized well, with catchy chapter headings augmented with subtitles that direct readers to key points and messages. For example, Chapter 5's title is "Oedipus Rising" (ages 3 to 6), with subheads touting "Meeting Children Where They Are" and "The Joy of Getting Bigger and Better." This chapter talks about how a child is developing social, cognitively, morally, physically, emotionally, psychologically and biologically, and how these changes can impact a child's relationship and fears. Parents and adults can help children navigate these experiences through listening, asking the right questions, and helping to guide them. I recommend the book highly for parents who want to be able to communicate more openly and learn to listen better to their children--not just about fears--but all aspects of their lives.
