Whale Done Parenting: How to Make Parenting a Positive Experience for You and Your Kids

"How is it they can get a killer whale to urinate on cue, and we can't get our son to pee into the toilet?" Amy Sheldrake, young mother and killer whale trainer-in-training, marvels at the complex behaviors her superiors at SeaWorld are able to coax out of these enormous beasts, while she and her husband struggle to make their beloved--and much smaller--son Josh obey the simplest rules. Using the story approach popularized by Ken Blanchard in his many bestsellers, this unique parenting book draws on the experiences of two of the coauthors--as both pioneering marine mammal trainers and as parents--to show how the same principles that induce killer whales to leap into the air can persuade young children to go quietly to bed. Like Amy and her husband Matt, once you get the hang of the three Whale Done principles, you'll see a dramatic difference in overcoming challenges like following bedtime routines, dealing with tantrums, introducing new foods, sharing, avoiding overuse of the word no, learning to care for a pet, and instituting time-outs.