P.E.T., Parent Effectiveness Training: The Tested New Way to Raise Responsible Children

Abstract: Because parents are blamed for their children's faults but are seldom trained to be more effective, a system of parenting techniques and principles is presented. By learning to listen, parents can communicate a feeling of acceptance to their children. Although active listening needs to be applied properly to be effective, it can even be used with infants. It is important to send the intended message. Manipulating the environment can change behavior. Because conflicts are normal occurrences, and how they are resolved is critical in the parent-child relationship, a no-lose method of resolution should be used. Parents also can prevent conflicts by modifying their own attitudes and by considering the child's view in conflicts with adults outside the home. Useful exercises, a list of typical parent messages and child responses, and suggested readings are presented in the appendix.