The Explosive Child [Sixth Edition]: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children Paperback – 14 Oct. 2021

I just had to write a review for this book so I can share with others how wonderful it is. I ordered a few 'parenting' books to help me with my child who has ODD. This stands out by a mile and I wish I hadn't bought the others.The author will take your hand and guide you through why your child is behaving in such difficult ways. He then guides you through the solution. It's changed the entire way I think of my child and his behaviour. He's 13 and I wish I had this book at least 5 years ago. It would have saved a lot of screaming, shouting and destruction. And more than that, it would have helped me to really understand my child. To be on his side, rather than against him. It would have helped me to brush off criticism about me being a bad parent and to shrug off people telling me to punish him harder (punishments don't work with children like this, and they make things worse as you'll probably know).This book is kind. It doesn't make you do anything that instinctively feels wrong as a loving parent. It's kind to the parents and it's kind to the children.I'm already putting into practice the steps he guides you through, and it's already helping.I'm so grateful to have found this book and I think just in the nick of time, as I was about to spend a lot of money on therapy which tbh my child was refusing to go to anyway!Buy this book and reclaim your relationship with your child. I can't put it clearer than that.

Such an easy read

Overall, this was a really helpful book to have read. It helped me to see that "normal" approaches were pretty much worthless at this point, and that I was going to have to plan things more. Also, that some of the things I was doing that seemed to "work", would be even better with some refinements. It gave really good examples (eventually!) on what to do.I did begin to worry at one point that, like some other books, it was describing my child really well, but wasn't going to get on to concrete actions. It did get there though! Maybe a really good test of these is that, while I've read the book, my wife hasn't yet, and her interactions are unchanged while mine have gotten much better.If I had one or two criticisms to make, I guess the first would be the in-book stories, the fictional accounts of the parents. One reason I don't like them is that they are very easy, and make progress really quickly...the book makes it clear that this is a journey and won't just fix relationships overnight, but the examples more or less yield immediate results. I get that they are a fictional narrative to aid in applying the techniques, but it still stuck out.The other thing about the stories...the men are completely useless, aggressive morons, who scream and hit their kids. And the women want to fix everything and are just caring by nature, while manipulating people around them in to trying new things, instead of explaining their value or presenting their need clearly. It's more than a little out of date with the gender roles.Ignore the stories, pay attention to the techniques, and do your best to prioritize problems and build up these skills with your kid...and it will be really good.One final note - the examples are aimed at kids around 12 to 16, though the techniques do seem to apply to all age groups. That wasn't super clear for me. My son just turned 5, so I feel like starting this so early will mean the 12+ ages will be...smoother. Maybe not smooth, just not as bad as they could have been!

This book is a little gem and I’m so grateful I came across Dr Greene’s interview because I can see how implementing plans B makes total sense. The strategies don’t only help solving disruptive behaviour but allow for building useful life skills that make kids feel capable and that’s what us parents want, to raise kids that are capable adults. The practice of plan B is helping kids see themselves as problem solvers, good communicators. The strategies teach them that help is round the corner and that they can always strategize with others to find best solutions. It’s also such an amazing way for parents to learn how to understand and hear our kids and their concerns making bonding a much easier tasks. As they say.. kids don’t come to this world with a manual on how to parent them but this book might just be the one they should be born with. This books will help any parent but those of you feel stuck in power struggles all the time, please know it’s doable and the book gives a very easy to follow step by step guide on how to! Highly recommend it!!!

I have a child with trauma and ADHD, and struggle to deal with his behaviour at times. This book shines a different light on it and gave me some really useful tools. I highly recommend it if your child has 'explosive' behavior and you just don't know how to manage it! It'll change your mindset.

Great book. Highly recommend if you want to learn more about PDA.

I have studied discipline academically, conducting a global literature review of styles of discipline used by adult around the world, and the impact those styles have on children's emotional development.I have also worked one to one with children in mainstream settings and within in PRU school for children with social, emotional and behavioural challenges.I knew I was consistent fair, kind, and also good at holding firm boundaries with my children... yet several diagnosis brings us many challenges day-to-day, including emltionsl dysregulation, oppositional reactions and explosive meltdowns.This book has offerred me a brand new approach to solving the problems that cause disharmony in my family, and I know this method will help make things better for us. It already is, and we've only just begun.There is a lot to learn, yet this book, coupled with the associated website resources and Facebook support group, is revolutionary. I am so grateful to have found it!

Definitely worth a read if you have a child that just explodes.Very informative and thought provoking.