Download or read book The Manipulative Child written by Ernest Walter Swihart and published by MacMillan Publishing Company. This book was released on 1996 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The good news is that Drs. Swihart and Cotter have created a radical and clinically proven program for breaking manipulative behavior and getting our kids back on track. At its core is the concept of value-guided parenting, wherein parents do the difficult work of establishing a set of values - a family identity - and then demanding that they and their children behave based on these values. The program teaches parents to say no without feeling guilt; to resist the urge to feel responsible for their child's happiness (which negates the child's chance to struggle with and learn from life's vicissitudes); to view their children as emotionally competent and resilient; and most importantly, to realize that effective parenting means allowing your child to make mistakes and develop a sense of competence, which leads to enhanced self-esteem and an ability to live independently and successfully in the real world.