Have a New Kid by Friday Read Free

child to be? What kind of parent do you want to be? You can get there with my time-tested “3 Simple Strategies for Success.”
    On Thursday, we’ll identify the 3 pillars of true self-worth and learn how to develop them in your child.
    On Friday, you get to be the shrink. We’ll review the principles and the action plan you’ve been developing since Monday and get ready to launch it upon your unsuspecting children.

    The “Ask Dr. Leman” section provides practical advice on over 100 of the hottest topics in parenting. Read it straight through A to Z or use the index in theback of the book for a quick find.
    Then there’s what I call “Fun Day.” It’s my favorite day of all. After launching your plan, you get to sit back and watch the fun . . . and the confusion on your child’s face. It’s a parent’s best entertainment.
    If you don’t give up, I guarantee you’re going to hit payday. I know. I’ve seen those benefits in my relationship with my own children, who span the ages of 15 to 35. Sande and I are proud of them. They’ve all done well in school and life in general. Unlike me, they haven’t been to traffic court and driving school. The interesting and wonderful thing is that they really love each other. They all make tremendous sacrifices to be together. And check this out: they love and respect Sande and me. They even like hanging out with us. Even our 15-year-old daughter’s friends acknowledged to her the other day that her parents were “cool.”

    In Have a New Kid by Friday , I’ve taken nearly 4 decades of marriage and parenting experience—including my clinical experience as a psychologist, my personal experience as a father of 5, and the many stories I’ve heard as I’ve traveled around the country, bringing wit and wisdom to family relationships—and combined it all into one little book. I’ve done this because I care about your family . I want to see you have the kind of satisfying relationships in your family that I see in my own. I want you to experience a home where all family members love and respect each other.
    Your children deserve that.
    You deserve that.
    And nothing would make me happier than to see it come to pass.

Monday
    Where Did They All Come From?
    Why do your kids do what they do . . . and continue to do it? Your response has a lot to do with it.
    Four-year-old Matthew was in a bad mood. His mom could tell that as soon as she picked him up from preschool. All he wanted to do was argue with her. Then he delivered the vehement kicker from the backseat as they drove home: “I hate you!”
    If you were his parent, how would you respond?
    You could:
    1. Let the kid have it with a tongue-lashing of your own.
    2. Ignore the kid and pretend he doesn’t exist.
    3. Try something new and revolutionary that would nip this kind of behavior in the bud . . . for good.
    Which option would you prefer?
    If you responded with a tongue-lashing of your own, both of you would leave that car feeling ugly and out of sorts. And what would be solved in the long run? You’d feel terrible the rest of the day. Your son would go to his room and sulk. One or both of you would eventually end up apologizing (probably you first, since your parental guilt would reign; then, because you would feel bad for losing your temper, you’d probably end up liberally dosing the child with treats).
    If you ignored the kid and pretended he didn’t exist, it might work for a while—until he needed something from you. With a 4-year-old, that lasts about 4.9 seconds since there are so many things he can’t reach in the house (like the milk in the refrigerator on the top shelf). The problem is, if you don’t address the behavior, you’ll spend the rest of your day steaming under the surface . . . and kicking the dog.
    This mom decided to go out on a limb and do something revolutionary. She was very nervous; she wondered if it would really work. She’d read all the discipline books and tried so many