Product Description

Did you know that life is like an obstacle course? It’s exciting and fun, but full of tricky spots to get through. If you’re a kid who feels so frustrated by those tricky spots that it’s hard to enjoy the good things in life, this book is for you.

What to Do When You Grumble Too Much guides children and their parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques used to treat negative thinking. Lively metaphors and illustrations help kids see life's hurdles in a new way, while drawing and writing activities help them master skills to get over those hurdles. And step-by-step instructions point the way toward becoming happier, more positive kids. This interactive self-help book is the complete resource for educating, motivating, and empowering children to work toward change.

Praise for What to Do When You Worry Too Much

"Dr. Huebner has created a completely accessible, easy-to-understand book to show worrying children a new way of life. Kids will breathe a sigh of relief to learn solutions that really work." Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Author of "Freeing Your Child from Anxiety" and "Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder"

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7189 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 88 pages

Review
"Dr. Huebner has a gift for describing abstract issues in simple, concrete terms...a unique resource that helps children practice how to think differently. Highly recommended." -- Carina Ziemek, MA, School Counselor

About the Author
What-to-Do author Dawn Huebner, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in Exeter, New Hampshire, specializing in the treatment of children and their parents.

The whimsical art of Bonnie Matthews appears in many children’s books and magazines. She lives in Baltimore.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Some children seem to have radar tuned in to what is wrong in any given situation. No matter how much is right, they have a way of noticing and commenting on every little problem, no matter how small or inconsequential.

Parenting a child who zooms in on problems, a child who often has a negative view, is hard work. If you are the parent of a child who "grumbles too much," you are probably nodding your head in agreement. You want your child to be happy, and you have probably worn yourself out trying to make that happen. You have bought the latest toys, waited in amusement park lines, laughed at marginally funny jokes. You have hosted play dates, lost at Go Fish, cooked endless bowls of macaroni and cheese, and repeatedly gone above and beyond the call of duty for the sake of your child. And your child probably has been happy. Children who tend toward the negative are actually often happy, as long as everything is going well. And therein lies the catch, because in real life, there are glitches. One of the rides at the amusement park is out of commission, you forget to pick up the blueberry yogurt, a school friend chooses to sit with someone else. And that's when the grumbling (and worse) begins. In the life of a child whose thinking quickly turns negative, a small mishap can shatter an afternoon. Children who tend toward negativity are masters at noticing problems. It's as if deviations, imperfections, and injustices jump out at them, magnified a hundred fold. They feel compelled to point out what is wrong or unfair. These children are experts at making mountains out of molehills, and typically grow increasingly angry when attempts are made to talk them out of their point of view. ... Now the goal, as you know, is not simply to end the grumbling. Children whose thinking quickly turns negative are good at fuming in silence, too. The goal is to teach these children about negativity and to motivate them to do something about it. The goal is also to help them become more resilient in the face of disappointment and to provide them with the skills they need to focus on the positive rather than staying mired in the negative.

Customer Reviews

Not bad read for young kids
I bought this for my very negative 10 yr old son an myself to read. It was very basic but informative. Maybe for a bit younger than 10 yrs though. It has some little writing/drawing activities based on what you're learning in each chapter. I think I was expecting more content. It was a very quick read for him. I'll have him go through it again as a reminder/refresh as it is definitely necessary but I think I had hoped for more.

Great cognitive therapy based book
Just from the intro. written to the parents, I was impressed. It made me feel more at ease about some of my son's issues. I am a former school counselor and I thought the layout of the book was great and it kept my 6 year old's attention (we would do a chapter a night each night before nights out). It gives some great concepts that plant seeds in a child's mind about what is going on when they are negative - even if they can't immediately put them to use. This is a wonderful series - we have tried three of the books.

Excellent Series - Very Easy to Use and Understand
This "What to Do" series was very useful to me as a parent. It explains complex psychological ideas at a child's level without condescending to them and then attempts to help them learn how deal with those strong emotions.

I purchased this book and What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety (What to Do Guides for Kids) after my 5-year old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. It has helped her and her then 8-year old brother work through the many adjustments in our family after the diagnosis. We went through the book together and then talked about the activities that might help them deal with how they felt. The simple, clear explanations were a great starting point for discussion. Not everything "worked" nor did we focus on "solving" these emotions--rather we used the books to help the kids see that they are not alone and that there are things they can do when they feel trapped by strong emotions.

My daughter is now almost 7 and still takes the Grumbling book out to read it over. She knows she does have things to complain about in her life, but also that she doesn't want them to take over her life. I have also just purchased What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger (What to Do Guides for Kids)which she is anxious to read! How many books on these tough topics can you say THAT about?

If you have intense, thoughtful, strong-willed kids, this approach to the perpetual problems of grumbling, worrying and (I hope) anger management will help. And even if they won't read it, it will help you know how to talk about those feelings.

P.S. Another good book is Who Moved My Cheese? For Kids I know it sounds corny but change is a big stressor for my kids so that book helped address these emotions too.