Jo Frost should be compulsory watching.

[Poshbaggirl]

I love this woman. She is to parenting what Jamie is to school dinners. No, shes better than that! So straightforward, everyone should watch and learn.

[Morloth]

It is all a bit 'No Shit Sherlock' really.

I don't need to be told to teach my kids that behaviour (both positive and negative) has consequences.

[HoneyPablo]

BertieBotts That is so true. If children know what is expected of them, it is much easier for them. Instead of saying 'No hitting', I tell the children to have 'kind hands' and we talk about what kind hands do- sharing, stroking, holding hands, tidying up. playing etc. This works much better than being negative all the time.
I much prefer Tanya Byron, she actually knows what she is talking about.

[pointydog]

It's good stuff. SImple, straightforward, clear boundaries, all that.

It shouldn't be compulsory to watch her but any parents feeling in need of some parenting help should definitely wacth.

As far as I know, Tanya B doesn't have any programmes about parenting. People need to see it working and that's what Frost does.

[itisnearlysummer]

I agree that she comes across as controlling and patronising. I don't like her, but I do think that when she gets to a family that are at breaking point, sometimes that level of intervention is necessary to get things moving in the right direction.

Once the shouting, throwing, screaming, dragging, pushing, hitting has stopped, I imagine people would find some of her techniques were no longer necessary.

[Poshbaggirl]

The Jo vs Tania debate is nonsense. Parenting isnt learnt from books, to say one is better than the other is to say poatoes are better than carrots. They both have incredible depth of knowledge on the subject. I'm amazed any kids can relate to anyone with ten tonnes of eyeliner on.

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

Poshbaggirl I'm afraid I disagree, some reasoned debate about different methods is not nonsense on a parenting thread.

Pointydog, you maybe too recent a parent to remember Tanya Byron's many parenting programmes. IMO she was infinitely superior to Jo Frost, but it is true that she is no longer on TV. Jo Frost is, and for parents to whom parenting doesn't come naturally or easily (most of us?) it is good to have someone give some guidance. Jo Frost is better than nothing.

[megapixels]

YABU. Some of us are quite capable of raising our children without having to watch a TV program on what to do with them .

[MorelliOrRanger]

Does she have any of her own children? It's a whole different ball game. I'm a qualified NN and nannied for 9 years, the 2 children I looked after are completely different to my DD.

[joric]

Poshbag- I really don't agree that one of them has 'incredible depth of knowledge' TBH. She comes across as pretty shallow (in her knowledge) ...
Ground rules
Routine
Consistency
Respect (including no shouting/ hitting/ sarcasm)
... She is 'teaching' the absolute basics to your average family.
To give her credit, this works for her show as her families don't always have these basic skills- but an incredible depth of knowledge? No.

[tablefor3]

Can anyone help with something JF said last night?

There was a family (in one of the little roadshow slots) whose toddler was a hard-core refuser of food except an extremely small range. This child had once refused all food for 7 days; at which point, unsurprisingly, the mother made her a dish she was prepared to eat.

JF's advice was that they should have held out longer, until the child "broke". Her reasoning was that the worst that could happen was that the child would end up in hospital on a drip.

To me, it seems incredible (and frankly dangerous) advice. Yet, presumably C4 would not have broadcast it without some back-up...

I was thinking about posting this question on Food or another branch to get an answer. The advice just seemed so, well, wrong.

[HoneyPablo]

"JF's advice was that they should have held out longer, until the child "broke". Her reasoning was that the worst that could happen was that the child would end up in hospital on a drip."

I am at that. What a ridiculous thing to advise. If a child refuses to eat, then you give them what you know they will eat, while trying to introduce new foods.
The worst thing that could happen would be a screwed up child who ends up in care because of neglect.

[joric]

Table - I find her views very simplistic like her. Every behaviour is is a battle of wills...

[joric]

In her opinion ( I should add)

[tablefor3]

Honey I know. I was also [shocked] and and genuinely concerned for the health of the child. I'm like you that I would keep on with the accepted food while offering other bits and pieces.

[HoneyPablo]

tablefor3 a perfect example of a little bit of knowledge being a dangerous thing.

[pointydog]

My oldest is 15, ellenjane. I have never been aware of Byron programmes. I've only ever had terrestial TV, mind you.

[HoneyPablo]

pointydog Tanya Byron did a fantastic series on BBC3 on freeview a few years ago. It was very good. She has a much better understanding of children and their development and behaviour than Jo Frost does.

[cyb]

Yes I liked Tanya Byron. So did my husband, but in a different way.

[pointydog]

I don;t doubt that she has, she's a trained psychologist, no? I couldn't get bbc 3 till recently so I won't have seen her show.

But I do think Frost does a good, no-nonsense, easy-to-follow job.

[merrymouse]

No. I think she is just the front woman for a load of 'techniquey' stuff cobbled together by production assistants that is sometimes common sense sometimes rubbish. It is just edited together to tell a particular story, like any reality TV.

I agree that Tanya Byron was good, but I think she left this kind of TV show because there was pressure to exploit the participants to show that any behavioural problem could be solved in half an hour at 8pm.

[thecaptaincrocfamily]

With food refusal unless the child starts to lose weight (and I frankly disbelieve the child had nothing to eat for 7 days, maybe no meals) then giving in after so long will just reinforce that if they hold out long enough then they get something else.......which is how they probably ended up being fussy in the first place. So long as they are hydrated and have something its fine. I would advise giving breakfast they like, lunch and dinner with some new foods, must try the new food or nothing else and no yoghurt when they say 'I'm hungry - bread, carrot sticks, piece of cheese. I'm amazed that so many parents I meet don't realise that this is a lovely sweet treat for their DC's........so what they are saying is don't bother finishing/eating at family meals because there is no consequence and you get a lovely treat for it

[JosieRosie]

Completely agree with thecaptaincrocfamily - I also strongly doubt that the child ate nothing whatsoever for 7 days.
I'm also a JF fan - she knows that the children are only reacting to what is going on around them, and it's the parents who need to change their behaviour if they want to get on top of the situation. And as a Early Years professional who is not a parent, I feel it can be an advantage not having 'your own' children. It gives you an emotional distance which helps to look at situations objectively. Which is exactly what a lot of these parents are (understandably) lacking.

[Poweredbypepsi]

well I watched my first jo frost programme on 4OD last night (it was the extreme parenting one with the boy who ate nothing but custard creams). I thought she was fine, just talking sense really alot of the advice she gave is what i would have said (note i say said because i know that when its your own children its easier said than actually done!).

[joric]

Merry "I agree that Tanya Byron was good, but I think she left this kind of TV show because there was pressure to exploit the participants to show that any behavioural problem could be solved in half an hour at 8pm."
I agree, I imagine she saw that it had the potential to become car crash/ trash tv - not appealing for a true academic.

[pranma]

One of the best pieces of advice JF gives is that parents should always support one another in front of the dc.many of the worst situations escalate when one parent says,'do that dc' and the other says,'no dc do this'.It really is common sense.consistency is so important.