The Me, Me, Me Epidemic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful Kids in an Over-Entitled World by Amy McCready

The Me, Me, Me Epidemic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful Kids in an Over-Entitled World Reviews

• 
  Michelle

  I wanted to support Amy McCready because she's a local author, but
  I tried reading her first book and couldn't finish it. Close to the beginning it had two examples of other discipline styles that don't work supposedly, but I felt she completed misrepresented these styles then she had a quiz about my child (or parenting style? something) that wasn't Kindle-capable so I gave up. I might go back to read it, though, because I really liked this book!
  
  The beginning was a bit slow for me because I thought it was very common sense sort of stuff and/or I felt that I was already doing whatever she was suggesting (also Mind, Body and Soul Time just sounds kind of cheesy, though I agree it's the major thing if you want to have a healthy, happy child and a healthy, happy relationship). There were a few things that I really liked:
  
  Asked and Answered is a new way to approach my child's constant questions, though she's asking all the time more from ignorance and less from being a pest, which is different.
  
  Ditch the Don't. This makes a lot of sense. For babies, I've read elsewhere that you shouldn't say "don't" because the process of "do" followed by "not" is too confusing; just tell babies "No hit!" instead of "Don't hit!", etc. McCready showed me this is still true for children. Obviously "No leave towels on the floor!" is weird grammatically for older children, but let's also avoid "Don't leave towels on the floor!" Instead it can be, "Hang up your towels, please!"
  
  I am all about letting my kids take the lead on making decisions (which breakfast, giving them two choices; what clothes do you want, only rules being that it has to be weather-appropriate, etc.) and McCready gave a nice age/decision chart that I'm saving on my phone!
  
  Creating a consquential environment. I am all about this. Let your kids face natural and logical consequences to learn how life goes! Yes, it can feel mean, but are you going to clean up your kids' messes for the rest of their lives? Or let them learn consequences now when the stakes aren't as high and scary?
  
  And this is where the second part of the book started to pick up for me. It was stuff that I think I'm dealing with more (now that my child is four and her teenage sister) and also truly just stuff I wasn't placing emphasis on but really should (hey, you don't know what you don't know). Like Praise Never Pays. We don't spoil our kids with material things, but this really gave me pause because I do spoil with praise. Instead of me saying, "I love your picture, especially all of the colors you used!" (I thought if I gave a specific compliment that was fine), I'm trying to switch more to, "What do you like best about your picture?" and "You must be so proud of yourself." McCready gives a lot of nice examples of how to avoid constant praise, choosing instead to do things like give Encouragment. Praise and Encouragment can be difficult to pry apart in my head, but basically pointing out the specific positive behavior you want your child to repeat ("Your laser focus really helped you get your homework done quickly today!").
  
  I absolutely loved the thoughts in the Money and Sense chapter. So important to teach kids about money!!
  
  Here's something else I really want to focus on in our household: Being grateful. There are tons of good kids with good grades that participate in sports, at church, etc., but they are self-centered little shits regardless (I say that jokingly. Kind of.). McCready talked about how "thank you's can be empty, but how to make them genuine (being a good role model yourself, giving instead of getting, finding thoughtful and varied ways to express thanks, finding the silver lining). And creating empathy! Reminding your kids that everybody has a story, listen and engage with other people! I wanted to highlight everything.
  
  Thank you, Amy McCready! I've already put into action some of these tools, and while I didn't think my youngsters were entitled, "me, me, me" kids, it is something I genuinely worry about them morphing into. It makes me feel good that I'm empowering myself with this knowledge now, and I hope entitlement won't ever be a problem in my household. Especially because so much of what we do for kids while they're babies and toddlers do carry into their future, but there are constant changes (money, more privileges, etc.) as they grow. This book covered everything!
• 
  Katie Hurley

  A great resource no matter the stage of parenting you're in! Using relatable anecdotes and effective strategies, Amy McCready helps parents rid their homes of entitlement by cultivating healthy attitudes and raising confident, resilient children. This is a must read for all parents looking to empower their children to lead happy and successful lives. McCready offers positive parenting solutions for parents of toddlers through teens in this thoughtful approach to breaking the entitlement cycle.
• 
  Jill

  We all want our kids to be happy, and I admit I'm often guilty of saying yes when I really mean "no" just because it's easier in the moment. But over time, I've noticed my kids expect to get their way. I wouldn't go as far as to say my kids are spoiled, but Amy's checklist of Signs You May Have an Entitlement Problem in Your Home really hit a nerve with me. It was an A-HA moment and I realized I needed to make some changes, for my self, my kids, and for the rest of society who will have to deal with them! :) This is more than just a book -- it's a parenting manual to help you raise happy, capable, grateful, independent kids. I truly believe that if every family read this book and followed Amy's advice, we would be better off as a society. Read it, keep it close, and refer to it often. You won't be sorry.
• 
  Katy L.

  I am torn about this book. On one hand, I love the premise and most of the tools for helping our children become more empathetic and independent. At the same time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this book was really only written for me - a white, Christian, upper-middle-class mother. Though the author at times attempts to appeal to other audiences, they come up short. However, given my family’s background and what I hope to help my kids learn while I help them discover themselves, I think many of the strategies will be useful when also filtering through the lens of our other family values. (For example, the suggestions to help our kids learn gratitude by working at orphanages in India or local homeless shelters aren’t sitting well with me, as I want to be careful not to inadvertently teach my kids to have pity on others or to be a white savior. However, I do want to help them find ways to actually help others to build gratitude rather than just talk.)
• 
  Kristen Northrup

  Simple, straightforward, and inspirational. But I should probably check back in a year to see how much I was actually able to implement.
• 
  Lisa

  I really loved this book for its practicality and relatability. I saw myself in many of the examples and found the description of why we do the things we do, how kids may develop as a result, and tips for changing our approach as parents easy to use, and I have put some of them into place already. Many of the things we do as parents are with good intentions to 'help' our kids but over time can really hurt them and I am hoping to put the brakes on that before it is harder to undo. I really liked the 'yes but...' examples b/c in other parenting books I have found myself saying those very things and wondering what to do if the kid doesnt fit the exact situation provided! I originally got this from the library but bought a copy after reading so I can go back & review strategies and share with my husband. The only thing I wish there was more on was how to best address talking back/sassy behavior.
• 
  Amy Wheeler

  The closest thing to a handbook I have ever found. A profound sense of "getting it". An ease of reading that makes it practical and real. Very usable and grounded work to do to reinforce the message that kids are capable when you give them some of the control.
  powerful reading and rereading in our house.
• 
  Courtney

  I read bits of this and they were interesting and pretty good. I just didn't have time to read the whole thing and I was tired or renewing it over and over.
• 
  Jacklyn (ReadingBliss)

  DNF. I don't even remember my thoughts because it was over a year ago, but I feel it's time to move on. It seemed good enough to read but not good enough to keep reading as I never felt compelled to go back.
• 
  Holly

  4 stars. Even though I skimmed this book (my kids are 18-21), I felt very validated in my parenting style!
• 
  Tracy Mallett

  We do a disservice to children when we don't teach them the skills to be responsible, productive adults. Boundary-setting and providing assertive leadership models for children integrity and responsibility for self and actions -- which are amazing life skills.
• 
  Stephanie

  This book had a lot of great points and had suggestions respectful of the child as well as the adult. It helped reaffirm that the more responsibility we give to our kids the more sufficient we are making them to be successful adults. She discusses chores, gift giving, allowance, etc. The only parts I caution are related to two techniques mentioned. One is "Ignore Undue Attention". I believe this is a technique that blocks communication between you and your child and doesn't set an example of empathy. I strongly believe in the Attachment Parenting model in which you respond with sensitivity to your child and do not withdraw your love as a punishment. The other one is "Sail out of the Wind". I felt this wasn't teaching a skill of negotiation or listening to your child's point of view. You are instead laying down the lay in a way that says your opinion or feelings don't matter. Other than those two techniques, everything was well written and could be put to good use.
• 
  Tima

  There are tons of news stories and facebook links about the craziness that involves the youth of today and their entitlement issues. They blow our minds. And yet are we helping feed the problem by raising entitled children? This book addresses those issues and give easy to implement steps for every parent.
  
  I liked how the author used stories to illustrate her points. It made for more interesting reading instead of facts just thrown at me. There are instructions on how to put the methods recommended into practice, advice on tons of different situations, and different methods that work for different children. While this wasn't the most gripping book I've read, it is definitely informative and I can recommend it to anyone who is currently raising children. The advice is sound, it works, and the author has hit on a much needed remedy for an epidemic of a problem.
  
  I received this book from Goodreads. All opinions expressed are my own.
• 
  Rachel

  A co-worker mentioned that she thought this was a helpful book so I requested it from the library and waited for it for 5 months! It's due back this week and more people are waiting for it! I'm going to buy it (for Kindle) because it's the kind of book that you can refer to for parenting reminders. The "Unentitler" rules are a mix of common sense and researched child rearing "techniques". I appreciated that some of the rules had parallels with some of the special needs parenting and support tools that I've read about (Mind-Body-Soul Time = DIR Floortime). The only thing that I found annoying about the book was the blame the author places on the baby-boomers for creating the problem of entitled children. (What.Ever.) And maybe it goes without saying, but the behaviors that parents are trying to challenge with the techniques in this book are probably only "first-world" problems, and possibly only problems for middle to upper income families.
  
• 
  Doug Miles

  We’re living in a world where more and more people believe they are entitled to everything. Children are being coddled rather than being raised to be well-rounded adults. That is the premise of Amy McCready’s new book “The Me Me Me Epidemic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful Kids In An Over-Entitled World”. In the book, she outlines steps to discover entitlement traits in children and how parents can learn to be better at instilling realistic values in their children so they don’t grow up to be a generation believing they are entitled to everything. It is well written and easy to understand. Recommended. I spoke with Amy McCready about her book and that conversation can be heard here:
  http://dougmilesmedia.com/?p=1739
• 
  Kimberly

  I read this quickly after reading McCready's other book "If I Have to Tell You One More Time." At first this one bugged me, but then it got into the meat of the tools and was useful. A lot of it is repetitive from her other book, but I liked having it sink in a little more and there were some additional tools, plus connections she drew in this one that were new (or I just didn't quite catch in her other book). I just found the beginning to be a turnoff. But I'm realizing I often find the beginning of nonfiction/self-help/parenting books a turnoff because they're all about convincing you why the book is important...but I already think it's important, and that's why I'm reading it.
• 
  Wendy

  I have read quite a few books about different aspects of parenting. This book is one that will be staying on my bookshelf for future reference. I found myself nodding and agreeing with pretty much everything in this book. I'm passing it on to my sister, who can definitely benefit from it, as well.
  
  Disclaimer: I was provided this title free of charge to facilitate review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.
• 
  Susan Bazzett-Griffith

  A good skim-through book about how to work on entitlement and poor attitude in kids today with several decent tips that I will be giving a shot this summer to see if they help. Big fan of the When-then technique description and the asked and answered technique description. Will (probably not, honestly) report back to let everyone know if this changes my life and transforms my kid into Beaver Cleaver. Fingers crossed!
• 
  Ryan Mclean

  I really liked this book. I felt like it was subtly giving parents tools to change how they interact with their kids without telling them that they were actually the problem. I love that the emphasis of this book was about creating a warm relationship with your kids while fostering a relationship of mutual trust and respect. This book gives a lot of practical examples and guidelines to help parents in our contemporary society. I recommend it.
• 
  Wonderish

  Kids today. Amirite? But seriously, entitled, they are. Making them so, we are. Let's stop that already, can I get an amen?
  
  Excellent practical advice collected together in one handy book. The techniques are familiar and simple, but not easy. You didn't think this parenting thing was going to be easy, did you?
  
  Recommended for people with kids. Kids not recommended.
• 
  Karyn

  I heard the author on a podcast and requested her book from the library. I found a few helpful things I plan on implementing--especially in the chore section. This past year, I've come to realize that while I might not be "spoiling" my children with material items, I have been "spoiling" them on the chore front. Far too often, I have defaulted to the do-it-myself-because-it's-quicker.
• 
  Shelley Thompson

  A down to earth read with realistic, pain-free tips to get the household running smoothly without whining. The first tip is to spend 10 minutes with your child giving them your total attention. No phones, no electronics, no distractions. Sounds so simple, yet works wonders. Happiness all around.
• 
  Danielle

  I liked how practical this book was in giving parents specific tools and examples of how to implement the recommendations she makes throughout the book. However, the book is written from a worldly perspective and there are many other biblical tools and resources available to parents that I would read over this one.
• 
  Jennifer

  This book got me thinking a lot and pointed out ways I am raising entitled children of which I wasn't even conscious. I liked her tips and scrips sections--very practical. The book is well-written and informative. Now the trick will be to get my husband to read it so that we can be on the same page!