Shop - THE LEARNING HABIT:A Groundbreaking Approach to Homework and Parenting That Helps Our Children Succeed In School And Life

Three authors—a psychotherapist, a pediatric psychologist, and a neuropsychological educator who are all parents—have compiled a guide that bamboozled moms and dads will welcome.

They are inspiring parents to take a look at the conventional wisdom behind giving children unlimited amounts of time to complete homework assignments.

The Learning Habit offers a blueprint for navigating the maze of homework, media use, and the everyday stress that families with school-age children face; turning those “stress times” into opportunities to develop the eight critical skills kids will need to succeed in college and in the highly competitive job market of tomorrow – skills including concentration and focus, time management, decision-making, goal-setting, and self-reliance.

The book lists 8 essential skill sets that parents should help children cultivate, from time management to fostering self-reliance.

An especially useful chapter focuses on ways to help children concentrate.

The authors gently remind parents that they need to model skills for their children—if mom is always texting as she walks, her daughter will follow suit.

The authors also insist that parents are not at the mercy of teachers, standardized tests, or cultural pressure: “We are the ones who must determine the quality of our children’s lives.”

Researchers note that this is enabling behaviour of the parents that suppresses their children’s ability to grow and mature.

To them this means:
● Defining rules and guidelines around bedtime and media and sticking to them.
● Rewarding for effort, not achievements, and only doing so honestly. (Doing so under every circumstance reduces the child’s ability to recognise that hard work can get them through even the toughest things.)
● Make learning a daily habit, not another crappy task to rush through.
● Build skills of focus, grit, and confidence through hard work, not instant gratification.
● Communicate with the child like they are a miniature adult; don’t be condescending.

Along with hands-on advice and compelling real-life case studies, the book includes 21 fun family challenges for parents and kids, bringing together the latest research with simple everyday solutions to help kids thrive, academically and beyond.

This is an interesting book with it’s approach to the parents role in life.

They talk about how parents can help their children acquire long term skills, and not the quick fix to an A. They approach this in a very no-nonsense way, yet full of sympathy and understanding for both parents and the kids.

They don’t promise it will be easy. In fact, it forces both parents and children to take a hard look at their behaviours and habits — and change.

They give the family tips on how to lessen their addiction to media use, toughen their resolve and focus, showing parents how to help their children become independent, fully functional, and mature in their own rights.

This volume, which is based on a three-year study—the largest survey of family routines ever conducted—is chock-full of examples from real families sorting through tough parenting decisions and provides valuable counsel.

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About the Authors :

Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman is a psychotherapist, consultant, and internationally recognized author in the field of family therapy. She is the author of The Narcissistic Family, and Clinical Director of New England Center for Pediatric Psychology.

Rebecca Jackson is a writer and neuro-psychological educator whose writing is featured on the GoodParentGoodChild website and Huffington Post Screen Sense. Rebecca Jackson’s most recent interviews and stories appear in her book -The Learning Habit. Rebecca Jackson spent three years visiting schools across the United States and interviewed hundreds of families, students, parents, and teachers. Through every day stories, she simplifies comprehensive research and data, leaving parents and educators with practical solutions that create academic success for children.

Dr. Robert M. Pressman is a Board Certified Family Psychologist, a practicing pediatric psychologist, and Director of Research at the New England Center for Pediatric Psychology.Manual Insert for Break.