A few years back, my now 9 year old (then 7ish) was introduced to the “Just” books, written by Andy Griffiths, and illustrated by Terry Denton.

Although aimed at boys (and girls, although they are a bit gross and about the life of a pre-teen boy) aged approximately 12-sih, I allowed him to read them, because books for 7 year olds were a bit too “easy” for him and I wanted to challenge him.

He giggled and chuckled away as he read, often coming into our room when he technically should have been alseep, reading hilarious bits out and snorting milk out his nose.

One day, having read all my Marian Keyes several times, the Harry Potter series several times and Bridget Jones several times, and bored with the lot of them, and too lazy to go the the library, and not being able to decide what I felt like reading, just like those times you stand in front of  the fridge for ages with the door open and can’t decide what you want to eat, I finally releneted to Monkey Boy’s “You should read these books!” and picked one up for a read.

Moments after having completed the first one, I went to my bookshelf and removed all books by Dr Christopher Green and Pinky McKay and Stephen Biddolf and whichever other “expert” I had in there and had a ceremonail inceneration of them. I then read the entire series of “Just” books and was glad that I had.

If I were a ten year old boy, I’d find them hilarious. Actually, as the incredibly mature way-past-my-twenties, sensible, articulate, entrepreneurial woman that I am, I, too, found them hilarious.

As a mother, I found them to be the best parenting books around.

The way Andy’s parents parent is inspirational and empowering. That it is similar to my own beliefs and values, of course, does help, but I have learned a few new tricks and ways to manage particular behaviours.

Despite the minor setback in the story Are we there yet? (from Just Annoying), where they do actually make him get out of the car, it is more tham made up for in Go To Bed and Shut Up (Just Disgusting), where Andy did, in fact, go to bed without argument (after some standard refusing-to-go-to-bed behaviour) and he and his sister did, in fact, shut up. Wise advice contained within these pages.

My all time favourites, and the best parenting tips would, in my opinion, have to be from Just Annoying‘s Imaginary Friends, which provided some extremely useful and practical information on how to manage the issue of imaginary friends that some children are afflicted by, and Playing Dead, from Just Tricking. The handling of Andy’s behaviour by his parents in this particular story is well worth reading by every parent.

Of course, the useful information is not limited to these particular chapters, and can be found in almost every story in the Just series.

Although some of the behaviours displayed by Andy are normal behaviours, you may, as a parent, not have experienced them. Yet. And you may never have to deal with these particular deeds. However, thought the management of the behaviour pertains specifically to a particular situation, the actions of the parents can easily and readily be applied to all behaviours in all children.

It is my belief that these books should be handed out to all parents, either as they give birth, or, at the very latest, when the child starts pre-school, and all parents would do well to read the advice contained within the pages; and apply it!

Andy Griffiths’ books can be found at Seek Books and are around the $9-$15 mark each. Well worth the money, and definitley keepers, not borrow from library-ers”.



(The other great thing about them is their ability to make your surley tween actually laugh and keep them locked in their room and out of your way. Double bonus!)