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In Dr. Sylvia Rimm's Smart Parenting, Dr. Sylvia Rimm, contributing correspondent for NBC's Today show and the host of a popular public radio call-in show, presents her remedy for preventing children's early "shut down" to learning by providing a comprehensive, down-to-earth guide for all parents who want their children to be confident, successful, and independent in meeting the challenges of the classroom and life. Based on her twenty years of clinical experience working with families and the thousands of questions from concerned parents she has answered, Dr. Rimm shows that encouraging achievement in the home is often a difficult task and even the most experienced parents need a game plan. As Rimm argues, "Smart parent planning begins before birth and extends to young adulthood. Parents can't control their children's environment entirely, but they can set main directions that virtually assure achievement." Just as Rimm's Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades has helped thousands of families overcome the problems of underachieving children, Dr. Sylvia Rimm's Smart Parenting will help many parents foster a home environment that encourages the desire to learn. Most importantly, Dr. Rimm outlines the four basic principles for raising achieving children. Dr. Rimm shows parents how to: form a "united front" and avoid sending mixed messages; teach their children habits that encourage learning; set positive expectations by example and through direct praise; give children a sense of confidence without overempowering.In addition, Rimm offers advice on dozens of topics, including how to improve your child's self-esteem through direct and indirect praise, selection of child-care providers, dealing with attention-deficit disorder and other learning disabilities, and test-taking tips for children with test anxiety. In an era when variations of the traditional two-parent family, step-families, grandparent families, families with gay or lesbian parents, foster families, and single-parent families, have increasingly challenged parents to redefine their familial roles and parental strategies, Dr. Rimm offers a no-nonsense, compassionate plan for parents to raise happy children who love to learn.