Disciplini9ng your child gently can be overwhelming. How do you communicate limits clearly without coming across as an authoritarian task master? How can you be sensitive to your child's needs without raising a brat? Elizabeth Pantley, author of "The No-Cry Sleep solution," now offers "The No-Cry Discipline Solution: Gentle Ways to Encourage Good Behavior Without Whining, Tantrums and Tears." This is one of the best parenting books I have read in a long while.

Pantley provides clear guidance for raising responsible and caring children without harsh discipline. Pantley offers tried and tested methods of communicating your expectations to your child while remaining respectful of their needs. She explains how to identify the underlying problems that can trigger difficult behavior and offers specific examples for solving whine, tantrums, hitting, swearing, lying, backtalk, sleep issues and dozens of other common behavioral problems.

Unlike authors whose parenting books that are based largely on theory, Pantley's book is based on real-world testing done by the many parents in her test group. Frequently, I found myself saying, "Someone finally put practical discipline ideas in print. Many of the methods pantely suggests are those I often use with children because I have learned through my own trial and error that these methods really work.

Controlling your own - very human - anger is an important step in teaching your child to behave responsibly and respectfully. Pantely offers realistic ideas for calming your own reactions to both deliberate and unwitting provocations. Even a saint will sometimes feel themselves losing their cool with a whining or disobedient child. The key is in learning to recognize your own reaction and take a step back before the situation escalates.

I highly recommend getting a copy of this book for yourself, and for the parents you know.