| Title | : | Why Good Kids Act Cruel: The Hidden Truth about the Pre-Teen Years |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 140221944X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781402219443 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2010 |
This is a question parents eventually face and most start thinking about as their children prepare for high school. But the hard truth is, high school is too late. The pre-teen years are actually when it begins, when the cruelty is even worse, causing more anxiety and stress for children already facing an enormous amount of change in their lives. Early adolescence is a phase of anxiety, of uncertainty, of insecurity. To make matters worse, although all kids are going through the same transformation, none of them share what it is like, each feeling alone, isolated, and unique. The result is that even fantastic kids will do and say harmful things. Why Good Kids Act Cruel is the first book to give you an understanding of why cruelty happens during these years and how to help your child through these difficult times.
She didn't make it; she was born with it: her nose. And in elementary school that was okay. But now in seventh grade, sometimes other girls would tease, "What's the matter Blaise, you having a bad nose day?" Looking in the mirror before school, she could see what they were making fun of. One day, a girl she had beaten out for a starting spot on the basketball team threw a nickname at her: "Snout." Some of the girl's friends picked it up, and it stuck. Blaise acted like she didn't care. But as she started to hate her nose, she started to hate herself.
Why Good Kids Act Cruel: The Hidden Truth about the Pre-Teen Years Reviews
-
I thought the book was phenomenal! As a school counselor, I hear about social cruelty from teachers and students. I needed a resource that would give me a better understanding of the “Why?” I see it as early as about 3rd or 4th grade so I think the material is definitely relevant to upper elementary.
The last chapter talks about what the school can do to combat social cruelty and I’m excited about integrating the information into lessons that I can take into the classroom! I think the students would benefit from learning about the different kinds of social cruelty and work on how to combat it. -
This book contains some useful ideas, though much of its wisdom is of a common-sense sort. The insightful bits could have made a dynamite magazine article, but become tedious in the rehashing of book format. The final chapter (concerning what schools can and should do) could be read fruitfully as a summary. Speaking of which, here is my summary:
As students enter the pre-teen/junior high years they feel conflicted as they must leave behind much of childhood and move into new independence. If they do not have strong, loving, adult support in this transition, they often rely too much on their peers for the cues of how to live and treat one another. This can result in teasing, bullying, rumoring, exclusion, and ganging-up. All these are bad. Adults should be aware and steer children away from being perpetrators, bystanders, or victims of these behaviors.
A good enough premise, but not a life-changing book or one that will be a classic -
I actually just skimmed this book. I started reading it and just couldn't stay all that interested in it. Granted, my daugter is only 7 and so maybe I just couldn't relate to the subject matter completely as the subtitle says it is about the pre-teen years. However, I do see quite a bit of cruelty in my daughter's peer group and so I was hoping for some useful information I could apply in various situations. But I came up blank.
-
Heard the author during a round table discussion on bullying on the Diane Rehm show. Gives good background on the nature of bullying and the reasons why kids do it. Some helpful advice on how to counter the effects of bullying and how to keep your child from being the aggressive one.
-
Read for work... it's interesting, but nothing groundbreaking.
-
Helpful insight into what is going on with children and why "good kids" seem to act in a way that is unexplainable. Helped me a lot when my son was going through a rough patch with friends.
