Book Review: The Active, Creative Child by Stephanie D. Vlahov

The Active Creative Child by Stephanie Vlahov

Publisher: Hohm Press

Publish Date: April 10, 2005

105 pages
Non-Fiction, Parenting

My Review:
Why I read this: I'm not sure that I would say The Active Creative Child is full of new ideas that will just blow you away, but it is full of little nuggets of wisdom that I think are easier to incorporate into daily life more than any new child-rearing strategy.  What the book is full of is tidbits of advice on adjusting your life to a more challenging child without changing your life, without going overboard and really changing your life or catering to one child over the other.  These are all struggles I have.  I adore my youngest but he does challenge me.  Sometimes his antics are adorable and sometimes they embarrass me completely.  One think I think Ms. Vlahov does very well is show parents that they are not alone.  That is  what the book taught me the most - it may me fell like I was in a sisterhood with her and many other mothers dealing with active creative children.

The book reads quickly and easily.  Ms. Vlahov does not get bogged down in research or terminology an average mother won't understand.  She keeps it real and easy-going so you feel that you are right there with her having a girlfriend chat and sharing your woes.  After the comfort factor of the book comes the learning factor.  I wasn't quite sure what I learned after reading the book, but now several days later I realize that I have learned a lot because I am incorporating little ideas into my daily life.  Not changing my life or my sons' lives in any way, but things I can change to make me more understanding of my child and to better communicate with him.  I can see me continue to use these ideas as well into the future.  The ideas are simple but great, they will be easy to incorporate and there is no need to use all the ideas at once.

I think Ms. Vlahov has written a book on exactly what she knows, dealing with an Active Creative Child and I think this book is a must-read for any mom at a loss.  Ms. Vlahov will make you feel better about yourself as a parent or at least not as alone and while she does that she offers helpful advice for day-to-day life with children that can challenge you, entertain you, make you smile, make you laugh and make you cry all within the span of minutes.  I can't recommend this book enough.  I am glad I got a chance to read it and will keep it on my bookshelf when I need a refresher in the future as well.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:
With an active,creative child, parents and teachers need to be flexible, energetic and smart! Here is a practical handbook for coping, establishing realistic boundaries and avoiding labels when you have a really inquisitive child. Active/creative children are often misunderstood by the medical community, by schools, and by their own parents. Their energy can be astounding; their curiosity is boundless -- and channeling that energy is necessary. This is encouragement and genuine help to support a child's natural curiosity and energy: * work with your child's energy, don't squelch it * keep your own ego from interfering with your child's passion * how to avoid over-stimulation * how to choose the best artistic outlets * how to choose the best teachers
About the Author:
Stephanie Vlahov, who holds an MS in Psychology/Theatre Arts, is a native Californian, a watercolorist, writer, tender of the hearth and a mother who also runs a recruiting business from home. She has travelled to other countries to observe how creative children are raised around the world.

FTC Information: I received this book through Pump Up Your Book Promotion for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.