Your Seven-Year-Old: Life in a Minor Key Paperback – March 1, 1987

This is absolutely a must have for any parent.I had read most of the books in the series, but unfortunately skipped the last two. Silly me ! When my 7 year-old started to behave like a drama queen, moody and withdrawn, I thought he was suffering some crisis. After reading 10 pages, I was relieved to see this was completely normal behavior for his age. It seemed the book was describing my own son.The main benefit of the book is not to give you a perfect formula on how to be a parent, but to ease your anxieties about your kid's behavior. Of course, after understanding the profile of the kid at this age, with some sensitivity, one can adapt its strategy to deal with the child better. For example, with an over sensitive, easily insulted 7 year-old, one should be careful not to joke or tease him too often, like you could do when he was 6.I don't agree that the book is outdated. It is extremely easy to adapt the information to our days. If a child is too sensitive, don't let him watch a scary movie, for example. Don't talk to him about global warming. Come on, it is simple.In summary, this is an excellent investment for your peace of mind. For one cent, this book is worth hundreds of dollars in therapist fees.

I have read all of the books in this series starting with Your Two Year Old up through Your Seven Year Old. Hands down, these are the best books - and in my opinion the ONLY books - parents need. Instead of being filled with recommendations based on psychobabble, these books are filled with recommendations based on observations of hundreds of real, live children in each age group. This Seven Year Old book saved me! It explained why my daughter came home daily with stories of how terrible her teacher and classmates were to her (not true, by the way), and gave me a profound sense of relief to know her thinking was perfectly developmentally appropriate for her age. All I had to do was listen and empathize; no need to set conference with her teacher, the counselor or even talk to the "offendingchildren's parents. Spend your precious time with this short, easy to read book. It is well worth it! No need to read anything else!

We have purchased these books every single year from 3 years to 7 years. We typically read them 3 mo before my son turns the next age. While the cover makes them look really outdated, because they are NOT a "how to parent" book, they really are timeless. They simply explain key characteristics / behaviors of children at x given age book is about based on what the majority of kids are doing and experiencing. As a parent, I have found these books to be 100% correct. They are really helpful in making me understand my child more and be more empathetic / understanding when he starts to do something that is normal / common for his age. If I hadn't read the book, I would probably think it is just MY kid doing this and he is having issues. Because I know it's normal, I am more patient. It's also nice to know that I'm not alone in what I am experiencing. These are good for your own mental peace :)I strive to provide useful reviews, so it this was helpful to you, please give my review a thumbs up :)

My daughter turned seven only three weeks ago, but I already see much of the pensive affect and inward focus described in this book. The advice is often obvious and/or outdated. However, the reassurance of seeing that my own child's changes are "normal" for seven made the read time very well spent.

I like this series because it describes, objectively, what seven year-olds are like. This doesn’t mean my seven year-old is a cookie cutter seven year-old but it is still helpful in diagnosing the unique peculiarities of my child.

As with this whole series, this was so lovely, calm, reassuring, and softly humorous. Out of date or old fashioned? That's your call, but I find it still relevant and useful. As to seven year olds- the title says it all!

Easy to read and gives a good idea what you can expect for the seven year old. Not all kids are the same but this includes a broad description of typical children at this age. Helpful to know behaviors seen are normal. Topics covered are characteristics, your child’s interaction with other people, routines, health, sleep, discipline, interests and abilities, what’s going on in their mind, school, suggested reading, etc.

These small old school handheld parenting books by age are still very relevant! There are some stuff is outdated but the majority holds true. I love that they are specific to the age. I always read them a few months before my daughter turns the new age. I find the books very helpful and recommend them to all my friends.