When I read in the pitch on how I can learn to stop screaming, overreacting and taking my child’s behavior personally, and at the same time remain calm even in the most stressful parenting situations, I told myself I have to review this products! And it is so awesome that the sponsor is willing to send the products to me all the way in Malaysia! Without further delay, here goes my review for the "The Calm Parent AM & PM":
Description from the product page:
"Do you try your best not to scream at your kids, but you boil over with frustration and anger anyway? Does their behavior have you constantly worried and upset? Staying calm with a child who’s disrespectful and who acts out doesn’t come naturally for parents. That’s why so many have sought help over the last 25 years with Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC, a renowned expert in the art and science of parenting calmly, not anxiously. In her new, at–home program, The Calm Parent AM & PM, Debbie shows you how to stop screaming, overreacting and taking your child’s behavior personally, and remain calm even in the most stressful parenting situations."
A little bit more info on the products, if you see the picture above, I received a set of 6 CDs and a book for my review. Product Includes: 3 Calm Parenting lessons on CD, 1 AM audio lesson, 1 PM audio lesson, 1 Bonus audio lesson: The Instant Calm Down & 113–page instruction manual.
It took me about 3 months to get through all the CDs and book before I can come up with the review post that you are reading now! Partly because I was swamped with other product reviews as well as caring our now 3.5 years old boy and also our hyperactive 1 year old girl.
Back to my review, the first thing I did is to take the introductory assessment. Then I put on the CD and read the book as well and find myself nodding a lot of times as I can't help but to agree with how similar the situation I am in as I handle the care of my 2 kids full time.
Yes, I am guilty of the frustrations (towards myself and my kids) and nagging and even yelling at my 3.5 years old boy whenever I caught him doing mischievous things, not listening to my instructions or hitting his baby sister. It really doesn't help when my next door neighbor is having a major house renovation and the constant drilling, hacking and hammering noises that starts from 8.30am on and off until 5-6pm every day, even on Saturdays just add on to the frustration and stress I have!
To summarise my feedback:
CD & Book wise:
* Volume too loud particularly on CD1
* There are few occasions when the speaker sometimes talks too fast making it hard for me to understand what was being said. I had to rewind a couple of times so that I did not miss anything.
* I was hoping that the book could be smaller in size so that it is easy to carry around, or perhaps a small booklet with important points on instant calm-down techniques.
Lessons learned / Points taken:
* We should parent thoughtfully, not reactively.
* The reason why we reacted is because we think we have no choice, and that we are fused to our kids
* Reactivity comes in other forms (not just yelling, screaming) it can also be in the forms of rejection, controlling, distancing, tuning child out, manipulating, threatening, giving in, nagging as well.
* We need to get our focus OFF our child and get it on ourselves! For example: if I want my child to be responsible, then I have to act responsibly with him!
The above are just some of the crucial notes that I wanted to share with you guys based on my review. Do consider getting this if you would like to improve your parenting skills and parent calmly in whatever situations!
You can find out more from http://www.empoweringparents.com/ , Facebook or Twitter.
I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the products in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.
