Toughlove vs Just Tell Me What to Say

Both "Just Tell Me What to Say" by Betsy Brown Braun and "Toughlove" by Phyllis York are popular choices for readers interested in Parenting and Parent and child. This comparison helps you decide which to read first — or whether both belong on your list.

Shared Themes

ParentingParent and childFamily & Relationships
Cover of Toughlove

Toughlove

Phyllis York

1980

How do you love an “impossible” teenager? “An effective way of uniting parents to square off against the youngsters’ own powerful peer group that endorses drugtaking and rebelliousness.”—Time Thousands of parents are finding new hope in dealing with rebellious teenagers through Toughlove, a self-help program which has grown to over eight hundred groups throughout the United States and Canada in less than six years. Now, for the first time in book form, the founders tell how Toughlove works. “You need Toughlove if you feel helpless and unable to cope with your teenagers’ behavior or if you feel victimized by them, disappointed in yourself as a parent, guilty because you think you have done a rotten job and are frightened bythe potential for violence in yourself and your children. . . . Remember, you have the right to a night’s sleep without where your kid is—or being awakened by a phone call from the police or a hospital or a drunk teenager who’s stranded somewhere.”—Ann Landers

Published 1980
Books like Toughlove
Cover of Just Tell Me What to Say

Just Tell Me What to Say

Betsy Brown Braun

1975

Parents are often perplexed by their children's typical behaviors and inevitable questions. This down-to-earth guide provides "Tips and Scripts" for handling everything from sibling rivalry and the food wars to questions about death, divorce, sex, and "whyyyy?" Betsy Brown Braun blends humor with her expertise as a child development specialist, popular parent educator, and mother of triplets. Whatever your dilemma or child's question—from "How did the baby get in your tummy?" to "What does 'dead' mean?" to "It's not fair!"—Betsy offers the tools and confidence you need to explain the world to your growing child.

Published 1975
Books like Just Tell Me What to Say

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is easier to read: Just Tell Me What to Say or Toughlove?
Reading difficulty depends on your familiarity with the genre. Check each book's page count and subject matter above, and start with whichever aligns better with books you've enjoyed before.
Can I read Just Tell Me What to Say and Toughlove in any order?
Yes — these are standalone works. You don't need to read one before the other unless they're part of the same series.
Which book is better for beginners?
If you're new to this genre, look at the shorter book with broader appeal and start there. You can always come back for the other.

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