I don’t know why this was so hard to get through for me. Overall great parenting advice.for developing your child into a healthy, happy, adult.

As an educator I was familiar with the concept of scaffolding in the classroom. I began researching applying that scaffolding not only to education principals but also social emotional learning. The Scaffold Effect provides the tools and strategies to be able to raise children by not rescuing them or setting them back because we are not teaching and providing the right tools and coping mechanisms.

Dr. Koplewicz philosphy on parenting is to be able to parent well enough that our children are not only are abe to have the right coping mechanisms but are able to choose the right tools for each situation. Supporting our children when they fail and guiding them rather than rescuing them allows our children to flourish. The coaching aspects of scaffolding begin as early as four years old. Each chapter provides guidelines and multiple examples based on real cases.

I stopped reading the book a few chapters in (about 1/4 through the book). It was very heavy handed with the analogy. I grew impatient.

Thank you @randomhouse for gifting me this book. This book is an amazing resource for parents and educators. I frequently refer to articles from the Child Mind Institute during work when I want to help others understand and respond to various educational issues. I was so excited to get this review copy, and it did not disappoint! Informative and story-driven, The Scaffold Effect offers a framework in how to guide your child towards self-reliance. I particularly liked the concepts of negative tracking (when you look for the negative, you’ll find it) and confirmation bias and will use those concepts to help others focus on the preferred behaviors. Highly recommend!

The Scaffold Effect: Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant, and Secure Kids in an Age of Anxiety By Harold S. Koplewicz MD is such an important parenting book. Our job as a parent is not to permanently raise them. Rather, we are to prepare them to launch on their own. Dr Koplewicz has provided your blueprint of what kids need to launch securely and successfully. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is one I will reread for years to come. The adolescent section is particularly helpful. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This is a fantastic parenting book in a realm of its own! Koplewicz teaches a method of parental teaching referred to as scaffolding, which involves letting the child take the lead on their interests and endeavors while we, as parents, provide them with the support they need to achieve their dreams and become who they are meant to be.

I remember, in high school, some kids saying how they had to go to a certain college because their parents went there. In an age of helicopter parenting and so many worried about "Keeping up the Joneses", what a child truly wants or needs can sometimes be stifled out. Their worldy attainments are not representative of their parents, but so many parents pressure their children as if it is. The author provides a simple format on how the parent can be the parent that the child needs. I found his stories and tips extremely healthy as I often struggle on not extending my anxiety to my children. While parents are very essential children's development, they are not a blank slate when born, and naturally will have directions they may go in life. Siblings that grew up, more or less the same, are great examples of this. Not every child will need the same thing and it is important, as parents, to be mindful of the unique scaffolding that each child does need.

The book was very engaging, informative, and readable. While I didn't always agree with everything the author personally did, the beauty of this system, is that I don't have to. The application of scaffolding will look different in each family and with each child.

The Scaffold Effect, Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant, and Secure Kids in an Age of Anxiety is a parenting book that covers all stages of development, from toddler to teen. It presents the idea that parenting done well is like a scaffold: a protective, supportive framework put in place during periods of growth which is then removed when the structure is able to stand on its own. When there is a need for some extra TLC or repair, the scaffold may be put back in place and then removed again.

The book presents common issues parents face and offers specific strategies. Parents will also be happy to find that The Scaffold Effect provides solid parenting advice, in a way that is guilt-free.

Comparing parents to scaffolding may sound a bit odd, but Koplewicz makes the metaphor work.

The Scaffold Effect
Dr. Harold Koplewicz

Every parent needs this book for raising resilient, happy and independent children who will be able to solve and manage successfully on their own no matter what life may throw at them. Isn't this what every parent wish for? This book provides the tools and strategies to be able to raise children by not rescuing them or setting them back because we are not teaching and providing the right tools and coping mechanisms.

Dr. Koplewicz philosphy on parenting is to be able to parent well enough so that our children not only are abe to have the right coping mechanisms but are able to choose the right tools for the right situation. Supporting our children when they fail and guiding them rather than rescuing them will allow our children to flourish and become successful and resilient adults.

The coaching aspects of scaffolding begins as early as 4-5 years old and this support and encouragement continues into young adulthood. Each chapter provides guidelines and multiple examples based on real cases.

I have become a firm believer in the scaffolding way of parenting to raise my own children grow to become well adjusted and resilient adults who are able to meet the challenges in life.

I highly recommend this read to every single parent.

A very comprehensive and down to earth parenting guide that can help parents assess their parenting influence in parenting choices. It is less of a ‘strategy guide’ (while it does provide clear suggestions and examples) and more of a guidebook to explore your parenting strengths and where your parenting skills can grow. It focuses primarily on the relationship that you have with your child and how do use that relationship to build upon the child’s unique needs. I would recommend this to any parent at any stage to build upon and continue to improve their own journey as parents. It normalizes mental health challenges while also exploring how to manage normal developmental challenges in ways that promote growth.

Wonderful book.
I would recommend this book for the parents of school-age children. It has so many eye-opening ideas for approaching children with knowledge, wisdom and empathy. At the end of each chapter, you will find key-points summed up in a “nail down those planks” section.
The book is filled with studies and researches, along with many situations you will find in your own parenting life.
Worth reading!

I really enjoyed this book as a reading experience wholly.
I was intrigued by the premise of the book and the idea of scaffold parenting. The concepts were well laid out and easy to understand without compromising on the psychology behind it. Each chapter gives different scenarios and ways to apply scaffolding in parenting. I love that there was a divide in the methods for younger kids and teens since needs vary so greatly. The specific examples for each pillar at the end of each chapter also helped summarize the message to be learned.

My only qualm with the book was the tangent about not smoking marijuana around children. It felt out of place. And I feel like the author was more just injecting their own ideas rather than applying the same logic to drinking or other forms of substance abuse. There is potential but it feels like it needs to be fleshed out more.

Wow! What a wonderfully brilliant and resourceful book. I'm almost left speechless at how thoughtfully written this is. It's a book every parent can benefit from, because let's face it, parenting can be difficult from time to time in today's fast pace and challenging world. There's so much wisdom and care packed into this one book. I HIGHLY recommend parents give this a read.

Not usually into parenting books, but this one called to me. I am going to be working on our family scaffolding now.

When I brought my newborn son home from the hospital, I had the crazy idea that we would skate through early childhood. Since I had been an “easy” child myself, I thought that surely my son would get through his early years without any trouble. I didn’t need help, I thought. But I was wrong. Parenting is challenging, even for someone like me who stays home. My son has already experienced some developmental delays. Autism has been ruled out, but he is behind on certain important milestones. I’d been looking for a book that would help me process how my son is developing and prepare me for what’s ahead. When I discovered Harold Koplewicz’s book, I was thrilled. The Scaffold Effect is an invaluable resource for ALL parents. I’m a longtime fan of Koplewicz’s, but I’ve often thought of him as the person you consult when your child has symptoms of a psychiatric disorder. In The Scaffold Effect, he shows that he’s a general parenting expert too. He’s a caring and brilliant advisor who can help parents navigate a child’s developmental, social, or emotional setbacks as well as achievements. I appreciated Koplewicz’s compassion and understanding that every child is unique and that our job as parents is to “scaffold” development with warmth, awareness, dispassion, and monitoring. We all (hopefully) want our children to grow up to be independent, resilient, confident adults. Koplewicz offers a reasonable, very smart roadmap for such an outcome.

I came away from this book with a plan for how I want to raise my son. I think others will be similarly moved and guided.

This is a valuable tool for parents to help empower children to feel more confident and happy. It’s full of excellent ideas, strategies, and advice on how it best help children develop resilience.

A must read for parents looking to deepen the bond with their children, continue to be mindful of their needs, and understand behaviors and patterns in development. The content in this book will be a conversation starter with my parent groups and my partner and is destined to be a go-to read for parents in a age of anxiety.

Harold S. Koplewicz’s, “The Scaffold Effect” is a down-to-earth and compassionate approach to raising independent and emotional and relationally healthy children. It is bound to help educate, equip, and encourage any parent, therapist, and child educator to be a powerful ally to children. This work will ultimately contribute to a better world. I highly recommend this book!