John Rosemond's Six-Point Plan: For Raising Happy, Healthy Children

Psychologist and syndicated columnist Rosemond ( Parent Power! ) asserts that rearing children can be ``relatively easy and enjoyable'' if parents follow his advice: take care of your marriage first, then the kids; expect children to obey and they will; make children accept responsibility for their behavior and for household chores; say no to your child and you will build character; restrict toys--too many will limit a youngster's imagination; and keep television-viewing to a minimum or youths will become passive and won't develop an interest in reading. Each chapter includes questions from parents, with Rosemond's replies. He is dogmatic (``I don't believe there's any justification for letting a preschool child watch any television at all''), prone to psychobabble (``give yourself permission to be creatively selfish'') and excessively cute (instead of using the word ``no'' he writes about ``Vitamin N''). Nonetheless, the book succeeds in presenting fresh, reasonable strategies that should help parents to resolve family conflicts and raise well-adjusted children. (May)