Normal Children Have Problems, Too

Normal Children Have Problems, Too: How Parents Can Understand and Help by Stanley Turecki, MD, with Sarah Wernick (Bantam, 1995) Order from Amazon.com

• About the book
• From the reviews
• See table of contents and excerpt at Amazon.com

About the book

This book received an Award for Excellence in Family Issues from Child magazine in 1994. The editors said:
“Dr. Turecki outlines insightful, detailed guidance to help parents cope with typical behavior and academic problems.”

Is your child troubled by any of the following?

• Lack of friends
• Poor self-image
• Sibling rivalry
• Hyperactivity
• Sadness and fearfulness
• Eating problems
• Nervous habits
• Aggressive behavior
• Defiance
• Sleep problems
• Lying
• Learning disabilities

Even normal children can have problems – and parents can help them.

That is the powerful assurance Dr. Stanley Turecki offers parents in this compassionate and practical book. Whatever the situation, Dr. Turecki shows you:

• A new way to understand your child's difficulties and gain insights into causes and solutions
• How to discuss problems without destructive arguments and win your child's cooperation
• How to strengthen self-esteem by making the most of your child's individual temperament
• How to improve discipline by focusing on planning and prevention rather than punishment
• How to collaborate with teachers about school problems
• What to do if you are told that your child should be tested for ADD or placed on medication
• When to seek professional help

Including vivid vignettes illustrating a wide range of problems and how they were successfully resolved, this award-winning book is a parenting classic.

This book was published in hardcover as The Emotional Problems of Normal Children.

From the reviews

Turecki, author of The Difficult Child, and Wernick, a writer specializing in family and medical issues, offer reassuring advice for parents of children age four and over: what may seem to be severe emotional disturbance in a child may be perfectly normal. Which doesn't mean that there aren't things that parents can and should do to help. Excessive shyness, aggression, hyperactivity, fearfulness, lack of self-esteem and myriad other "problems" may actually be the child's way of adapting to certain situations – manifestations of the child's temperament type. There are exceptions, however, and the authors give examples of behavior that warrants professional help (usually behavior that is inconsistent with the child's personality). By learning as much about their children's temperaments as possible, parents can help their children by encouraging them to communicate honestly and to assert their individual personalities in a more positive manner. There are also chapters on effective discipline, professional help, boosting children's self-image, and school problems. Filled with case studies from Turecki's practice, this book is important reading for worried parents and professionals.
– Publishers Weekly

This well-written book is full of insights to help parents guide their children through the storms of life.
– Marguerite Kelly, author of The Mother’s Almanac

Written in a straightforward, lucid style with a common-sense approach to complex parent-child problems,Normal Children Have Problems, Too offers wise counsel and is very supportive of parents.
– Clarice Kestenbaum, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

I have never seen a book deal with children and their families with more respect, understanding, and compassion.
– Richard L. Saphir, M.D., Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine