"Self discipline may be more responsible for differences in achievement than any other factor." From "Raising a Self-Disciplined Child" by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein. The book was written to "help your child (grandchild, student) become more responsible, confident and resilient."
As the mother of four children in four years, I needed help. I read every parenting book I could find. Each one had some useful ideas. "Raising a Self-Disciplined Child" brings together all the best and most important principles. The format is user-friendly.
For each concept, the authors recount the experiences of an actual family. "Take-home messages" are italicized and set apart. Additional recommended reading, references and an index are provided.
Yes, it's a book that addresses children with problems. More important, it's a book that provides a blueprint that will guide parents to prevent problems.
"Children are more likely to listen to adults they perceive as fair, empathic, and respectful than to adults who seem arbitrary, inconsistent and angry." This quote is from the chapter "The Mindset for Effective Discipline" which describes the styles of parenting and explains why the "authoritative" (not to be confused with "authoritarian")
style was proven best by research. There are questions for parents to consider in measuring their own empathy toward their children. There are examples of families and the observation that "insights of children often provide information that can be used to prevent problems."
Other chapters include practical, usable advice on teaching children how to solve problems, how to deal with disappointments, how to learn from mistakes and how to respond when life seems unfair.
Every chapter is excellent, but my favorite is "Encouraging Your Child to Make a Difference." One quote: "Not only should children observe parents engaged in bettering the lives of others, but in addition, from an early age, they should be involved in these kinds of activities themselves."
If you only read one parenting book....let it be this one!