20 Teachable Virtues: Practical Ways to Pass on Lessons of Virtue

Without sanctimony and without moralizing, the authors of Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking tackle the knotty and formidable task of transmitting fundamental moral lessons to children. Their straightforward approach assigns a chapter to each selected virtue, starting with Empathy and running through Courage, Loyalty and Peacemaking to Cooperating. Clearheaded discussions of the role each virtue plays in daily life and examples of how neglecting its practice can disrupt home life accompany realistic suggestions for parents to seize ``teachable moments,'' when lessons can be imparted to offspring without sermonizing. A valuable recurring section titled ``Warning'' urges parents to practice what they subtly preach (e.g., don't expect a child to learn respect if his or private space is routinely violated). This compelling, down-to-earth and useful guide deserves a place on any parenting how-to shelf. (Aug.)