Devotions for Sacred Parenting

Devotions for Sacred Parenting
By Gary Thomas
Published at Zondervan

About the book

Raising children is a sacred calling—and not for the faint of heart. It shapes the parent every bit as much as parents shape their children. In Devotions for Sacred Parenting, Gary Thomas, author of Sacred Parenting, delves deeper into the conversation and contemplates the soul-transforming journey of being a parent.

Many books have been written about how to parent your children effectively, how to become a better parent, and how effective parenting produces better kids. Devotions for Sacred Parenting explores an entirely different reality: how parenting transforms you, the parent. It explores the spiritual dynamics of parenting and why caring for your children is such an effective discipline in shaping your soul and forming the character of Christ within you.

With all new material, 52 devotions explore the spiritual dynamics of parenting. These life-related devotions are creative, fresh, and encouraging, inspiring mothers and fathers to look at parenting from a different perspective—as a holy and high calling from God, and as an opportunity to grow spiritually as you strive to raise godly children. Devotions for Sacred Parenting helps you understand how God is parenting you as you parent your children.

My Thoughts

Let’s face it… Parenting is not easy and sometimes it takes lots of wisdom and patience.   Being a parent require us to be constantly connected to our Father in Heaven whether you read the Bible or pray.  Devotions is also a great way to be nourished as a parent and where you can find tips and tricks to be a better parent.    We have heard Gary Thomas speak about parenting in the past and we really enjoyed his thoughts about this amazing job that is parenting our children.   So when I was able to review the new edition of Devotions for Sacred Parenting I did not hesitate to do it.

Thought many books have been written on how to parent properly and how to encourage your children, this particular book will emphasize on the fact that parenting transform you – the parent.   How can we shape our soul and become more like Christ as a parent is the whole idea behind this book.  The book contains 52 devotions and reflection questions which explores the spiritual aspect of parenting.   Fifty-two devotions to do once a week with your better half – your spouse.  And each devotions concludes with a prayer to say together as well as questions for reflections during the week.  These questions are always great and make you ponder on what you read as well as think of the past week or so in order to identify what you could have done better.

From the first devotion I have read, I was hooked.  This particular devotion titled “God is in the room” opened my eyes to the fact that God is always there (I knew that already but the reality sinked in more in my mind and heart.) and that realizing that will make you realize that how we act, think, behave and speak has a witness at all times.  Because let’s face it – we sometimes forget that He is there with us and tend to act is if He was absent.  But he isn’t.   God is in the room. So if we want our children to be able to acknowledge Him and notice Him we also have to do it as well.  It is funny how our parenting skills changes when our mind shift to the fact that God is ALWAYS with us.  He is in all the rooms you go in, in your car, in your kitchen, in the backyard…. (I think  you get the picture.)  So I have been telling myself this word – God is in the room. – for some time now.  I even plan to make a watercolor with the words on it to put in our dining room which also is our homeschool room.  Seeing it day in and day out will make these words sink in more and more in me and in my children.  

God is in the room.

Simple yet effective words to repeat.  A great way to remember that He is always there with us – no matter what happens.

In a way this book will allow you to discover how God is parenting you to become the parent he intended you to be for your children.   It is a fabulous book that I highly recommend to parents everywhere.   It is packed with wisdom and nuggets on how to be a better parent. 

Devotions for Sacred Parenting is available for purchase at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Nelson for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Have a Happy Family by Friday

Have a Happy Family by Friday – How to Improve Communication, Respect & Teamwork in 5 Days
Written by Dr. Kevin Leman
Published at Revell, a Baker Publishing Group division.

About the book

You really can have a happier home in just 5 days!

Every member of a family plays a vital role in the health and happiness of the household. Everyone is important, deserves to be treated with love and respect, and needs to know that when they make mistakes they will still be loved unconditionally. And when every member of the family is pulling for each other and on the same team, everybody wins.

Is this kind of family life even possible?

Parenting expert and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Kevin Leman says it is, and he's ready to show you exactly how you can make it happen in your family--in just five days. He shows families how to

• communicate honestly and kindly
• prioritize the right things
• maintain great attitudes and behaviors
• determine the role each person plays in the family structure
• make family time count

As always, Dr. Leman's outstanding advice is laced with humor, great stories, and the wisdom that comes from a lifetime of experience.

If you've had it up to here with bickering, hurt feelings, and emotional exhaustion, Have a Happy Family by Friday is just what the doctor ordered.

• Does any of this sound familiar?
  
  You're sick of the word whatever.
• You'd have a coronary if you ever walked into one of your kids' rooms and it was picked up.
• You remember way back when you and your spouse paid attention to each other.
• A good day is when you only send your kids to their room once.
• An exciting evening with your spouse is no yelling and no trips to the ER.
• You'd like to ground your kids for life . . . somewhere else.
• Everybody wants a piece of you, and there's nothing left to give.
• The only family member who listens to you is the dog.
• You spend a lot of your time wishing things were different in your family.

Well, wishes can come true. You can be on your way today to a happy family by Friday. Is it really possible? Yes! Embrace the truths and suggestions in this book, practice them, and watch them last a lifetime.

I guarantee it.

My Thoughts

Let’s face it.  Living with different types of people in a home can be difficult at times.  Not every one is the same and emotions can cause problems.    After all we are not all cut from the same cookie shape right?   But don’t desperate because Dr. Kevin Leman has written a book to help you get a happier home within a week.    Every member of a family plays a vital role in the health and happiness of a household.    And the book Have a Happy Family by Friday will help your to improve life under the same roof.

On Monday you will learn to choose your words in order to change your family.   Essentially, what you says and how you say it has everything to do with how your loved ones respond.   And trust me when I say that it is completely true.   I have seen how my kids respond on how I say things and I definitively know how I personally respond depending on how things are said to me.  So this chapter was a great reminder that I need to be careful on how I say things to my kids and even my husband.

Tuesday is all about time, priorities, activities, work and finances.   Bottom line you will learn what to do, what not to do, and why.  This chapter was great and I did grab a few things but our family is already very careful in how much activities are done during a week.   We do swimming on Wednesday afternoon and the kids have Awana on Thursday night.   Every once in a while during the school year we will also have the homeschool coop.  Our oldest son is also attending youth once a week.  But apart from that we are very careful not to overschedule our calendar and prioritize the time as a family.  Finances is also another thing we have been straightening up for the past few years.    

Wednesday I have learned how to navigate the teenage years with chaos.   Oh!  I know there will be though times but this chapter was wonderful to read for me as our oldest has turned 13 this year.   His three siblings are slowly coming closer to this age and I hope that God will pour patience over me for the years to come.

Thursday will be the day where you will read more about how your role as a mom/dad and your marriage can affect the family as well.   Having attended numerous marriage conference and training since our engagement, we have continued to seek advices from various sources through the years.  

Friday will encourage your to make time together as a family and make lasting connections.

After going through each of these chapters, the reader might have questions.   Included in this book, you have a whole section titled Ask Dr. Leman where you can go through the days of the week and see topics and advices on communication and family dynamics, time/priorities/activities/work/finances, discipline and attitude, dad/mom/marriage, and family connection.   Dr. Leman takes the time to answer specific questions and will encourage you at the same time.

Finally, the book concludes with a whole chapter on the secrets of birth order for those who have not read the Birth Order book.

I think that every family can benefit in reading this book.  I even read some tidbits of it to my oldest son.    I hope that one day my kids families will be joyful and thriving as the years go by.    If you are tired of the bickering, the feelings being hurt, and the emotional exhaustion, this book might help you to turn your family around and transform it from the inside out.

Have a Happy Family by Friday is available for purchase at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

The book is also available on Kindle.

  

Disclaimer: The book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Love and Respect in the Family

Love & Respect in the Family
Written by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
Published at W Publishing Group – an imprint of Thomas Nelson

About the book

Children need love.  Parents need respect.

It is as simple and complex as that!

When frustrated with an unresponsive child, a parent doesn’t declare, “You don’t love me.” Instead the parent asserts, “You are being disrespectful right now.” A parent needs to feel respected, especially during conflicts. When upset a child does not whine, “You don’t respect me.” Instead, a child pouts, “You don’t love me.” A child needs to feel loved, especially during disputes.

But here’s the rub: An unloved child (or teen) negatively reacts in a way that feels disrespectful to a parent. A disrespected parent negatively reacts in a way that feels unloving to the child.  This dynamic gives birth to the FAMILY CRAZY CYCLE.

So how is one to break out of this cycle? Best-selling author Emerson Eggerichs has studied the family dynamic for more than 30 years, having his Ph.D. in Child and Family Ecology. As a senior pastor for nearly two decades, Eggerichs builds on a foundation of strong biblical principles, walking the reader through an entirely new way to approach the family dynamic. For instance, God reveals ways to defuse the craziness with our children from preschooler to teen, plus how to motivate them to obey and how to deal with them when they don’t. In the Bible, God has spoken specifically to parents on how to parent. This book is about that revelation.

My Thoughts

As soon as I realized that a parental version of the best seller Love & Respect was published I knew it would be a book that will be worth reading.   And I wasn’t disappointed.   Dr. Emerson Eggerichs has found a way to encourage parents to stop the Family Crazy Cycle and instruct their children to respect them.  At the same time, he put some emphasis on the importance of love for a child.   Without knowing it, you will suddenly realize where changes need to be done in your parenting and how you can ameliorate the atmosphere in your home.  

Once you understand the Family Crazy Cycle and learn to defuse it, you can create a new cycle for your family – more specifically, you will learn to establish an Energizing Cycle in order to have better relationships with each other.   In this specific section of the book you and your family will learn to give, understand each other, how to instruct, how to discipline, how to encourage, and how to supplicate for your kids.  A chapter will also emphasize the importance of teamwork between the husband and wife which personally I find essential.   Finally, the last chapter of this section will provide guidance on how to relate to a child that is a different gender than yourself.   Part of this chapter will guide moms to relate to their sons and the other part will help dads to better understand their daughters.

The last section of the book presents the Family Rewarded Cycle.   This specific section will teach you why we need to parent God’s way, how to love no matter what, how to avoid the outcomes trap and how your response (or how you react) is in fact your responsibility.   Like it or not, whether your are a new parent or a parent for numerous years (in our case we are just around the teenage years), it is always beneficial to learn from experts on parenting.   I consider Dr. Eggerichs one of the few authors I would trust when it comes to parenting and marital advices.  

The book is definitively a must have for parents who are struggling with lack of respect in the home.   As you read it you might be surprised to discover that the lack of respect is directly linked with the lack of love your kids might feel.   I would like to strongly encourage all parents to read this book.   It is packed with wisdom on every page.

Love & Respect in the Family is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

Hardcover

   

Paperback

   

Kindle

   

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Nelson for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Parenting Your Powerful Child

Parenting Your Powerful Child
From Dr. Kevin Leman
Published at Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

About the book

Don't let those cherublike faces fool you.

Your smart kids have an agenda--and they're workin' ya.

Powerful kids don't just happen. They're created, and their power comes in different packages. Whether loud and temperamental, quiet and sensitive, or stubborn and manipulative, powerful children can make living with them a challenge. But it doesn't have to be that way.
In Parenting Your Powerful Child, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Kevin Leman offers a practical action plan to redirect your child's power surges into positive traits that will prepare your child for a successful, happy, and productive adult life. With these simple but effective techniques, you can transform your home from a daily battle zone to a safe and peaceful place. All it takes is a little determination--and some small changes on your part--to make a huge difference in your family life.

Ready for the power struggle to end?

My Thoughts

As soon as I saw this new title from Dr. Leman, I knew that it would be good.   I will admit that when it comes to parenting Dr. Leman is one of my favourite author, alongside with Dr. James Dobson and Dr. Tim Kimmel.   So I didn’t hesitate one second to request this book last month.   I knew it was just a book that I needed to read.   I have seen power struggles while I shopped and I will admit that even in this household we do deal with powerful kids.   I have one that is very strong will and he can just know how to make your react.  Though this book is not about dealing with strong-willed children but instead it will give you guidance in how to identify the powerful child in your family and how to deal with it.

As I read this book, I could easily identify how a child can become powerful in a family.  Dr. Leman says that it doesn’t just happens.  Believe it or not, powerful children are created and that power comes in different packages.  You think that your child is too shy – it’s a form a power.   You think that your child is just plain stubborn – power again.  Somehow the child has developed this power by discovering he/she can get it his/her way if she acted a certain way.   The book will teach you how to channel these power surges into positive actions/traits that will help your child to become successful, happy and a productive adult later in life.

In all, you will find sixteen chapters in this book.  All of these are well written and you will easily understand what the author is saying as he doesn’t use complicated terms.  

• Chapter 1: The anatomy of a Powerful Child – understanding where power comes from.
• Chapter 2: Power Comes in Different Packages.
• Chapter 3: The Loud, Aggressive, Temperamental, Curveball Manipulator
• Chapter 4: The Quiet, Shy, Sensitive, Walk-on-Eggshells Manipulator
• Chapter 5: The Stubborn, Procrastinating Manipulator
• Chapter 6: What Do Genes Have to Do with It? – discover how personalities in the nursery can predict how your child will be in 5, 10, 15 years.
• Chapter 7: What Does Environment Have to Do with It?
• Chapter 8: Raising Attila the Hun – in this chapter you will discover how parent unwittingly create powerful children…
• Chapter 9: Why Kids Misbehave – Discover that deep down they have a goal.
• Chapter 10: The Attention-Getting Kid
• Chapter 11: Power-Driven or Determined? – how to determine the different and what can be done to use the power surges for your advantage
• Chapter 12: You’re the Adult, They’re the Children – your background and your views of parenting
• Chapter 13: What Kind of Kid Do You Want? – win-win suggestions to help
• Chapter 14: Grace-Based Parenting – have a prodigal?  This chapter is for you!
• Chapter 15: Rewiring Your Home – what you used to say and what you will say now
• Chapter 16: Redirecting the Power Surge – how to encourage positive goals and help your child to use their drive for good purpose

You can glean beneficial information through the pages of this book.  Each chapter contains personal examples from the Leman family as well as testimonies from people who have applied the techniques of Dr. Leman in their relationship with their kids.   I find it beneficial to have these testimonies and discover how other people have dealt with some issues.   Also at the end of each chapter you will find a quick Power Point section that summarize the essential things that you need to remember. As I read this book, I could easily identify some of the power that my own kids have used in the past.   Even if my oldest is twelve years old and my youngest is five, I think I still have much to learn about parenting (should I mentioned that I am an only child?).   Our four kids are quite different from each others in personality, how they learn and how they deal with things.    Every day brings new challenges but I love these kids to pieces and want them to be accomplished adults later in life.   That’s why I am always trying to improve my parenting skills and having books like this one help me to attain this goal.

Thank you Dr. Leman for writing this book and encouraging me to persevere.   You are an inspiration for us as parents.   I am learning so much when I am reading one of your books.  I am looking forward to your next title. *grin*  Until then I will apply the techniques I have learned through the pages of Parenting Your Powerful Child. 

Parenting Your Powerful Child is available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

Hardcover Edition

   

Paperback Edition

  

Kindle Edition

  

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Lead Your Family Like Jesus

Lead Your Family Like Jesus – Powerful Parenting Principles from the Creator of Families
Written by Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodgest and Tricia Goyer
Published at Tyndale

About the book

Does your family need a five-star general at the helm? A psychologist? A referee? Ken Blanchard, best-selling co-author of The One Minute Manager and Lead Like Jesus, points to a better role model: the Son of God. Joined by veteran parents and authors Phil Hodges and Tricia Goyer, renowned business mentor Blanchard shows how every family member benefits when parents take the reins as servant-leaders. Moms and dads will see themselves in a whole new light—as life-changers who get their example, strength, and joy from following Jesus at home. This user-friendly book’s practical principles and personal stories mark the path to a truly Christ-centered family, where integrity, love, grace, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness make all the difference.

Who are the authors?

Ken Blanchard, characterized as one of the most insightful and compassionate men in business, is known for his knack for making the complex easy. Ken's passion is to inspire and equip people to lead like Jesus. He may be recognized for his insightful books and theory of leadership, but he is celebrated as a humble man who models what he teaches. Ken is cofounder of Lead Like Jesus and chief spiritual officer of the Ken Blanchard Companies, an organization dedicated to workplace learning, employee productivity, leadership, and team effectiveness.

Phil Hodges is a human resource and industrial relations manager in corporate America for 36 years with Xerox Corporation and U.S. Steel, co-founder of Lead Like Jesus; co-author of five books, including Lead Like Jesus, The Servant Leader and Leadership by the Book with Bill Hybels.

Tricia Goyer is the author of over 30 books and has been published in many national publications such as Focus on the Family, Today's Christian Woman and HomeLife Magazine. She has won numerous awards and has been nominated for both the Gold Medallion Book Award and Christy Award. Tricia is a highly sought after speaker at workshops and conferences and is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana. Tricia is married to the love of her life, John, and they have four great kids. They live in Little Rock, Arkansas where John works for FamilyLife.

My Thoughts

I was really excited when I was approached with the opportunity to review this book.  My husband had gone through Lead Like Jesus a few years ago with the leadership team of our church and I had heard great things about it.  I never had the time to read the book that he read but it was on my books to read list for the future.  So when this opportunity crossed my path as a blogger, I jumped on it knowing that I could take good information from it.   It took quite some time to receive the book mainly because I am in Canada and the postal service was slower than usual.

Lead Your Family Like Jesus is what I consider the parenting book to read in 2013.  It will encourage you and help you to become a better parent.  The book is divided in four parts in which all three authors have written about.  Part I will concentrate on the heart.   In the three chapters within this section you will discover how to have an eternal perspective, how to be humble and how to focus on God.   Part II of the book will lead you on the head part of your parenting – discover your family mission, say yes to the best and no to the rest, and know the difference between a crisis versus a bump in the road.  Part III of this book will highlights the importance of the hands in your parenting.   You will learn how to make the most of the childrearing years, how to help you kids succeed, and how to inspire obedience versus rebellion.  Finally, Part IV of the book will focus on the habits that are good to develop as parents – time with God (perspective from a dad and a mom) and how to turn mistakes into opportunities of forgiveness and grace.

As a homeschooling mom, I find it essential for me to read inspiring books about parenting in order for me to be energized and encouraged.   This year, I had the opportunity to attend the homeschool conference which I wasn’t capable to do in the past two years.  I have seen a huge difference as my spirit lifted and felt encouraged to pursue this road with our family.   I missed it.   I am realizing that in the past two years or so I also missed on being encourage as a parent and this book has been a delight for me.   I am inspired to focus our family on serving more and I was encourage with the Scriptures found in this book.

The authors have giving me a new perspective in my parenting skills and reading about Tricia Goyer’s view on each part of the book was encouraging to me because I knew she homeschooled her kids.    Reading about her thoughts was the highlights of the reading of this book.    I still have a couple of chapters to go through because I find it essential for me to ponder and reflect on what I have read before I continue.   

I highly recommend this book for every Christian parents out there.  It will be a blessing for your family to read this book.

Lead Your Family Like Jesus is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

   

The book is also available for the Kindle and Kindle app.

   

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Tyndale and Litfuse for sending me the products for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Stop Reacting and Start Responding

Stop Reacting and Start Responding – 108 ways to Discipline Consciously and Become the Parent You Want to Be
Written by Sharon Silver, Parent Educator
http://www.proactiveparenting.net/

About the Book

You, like any other par­ent, want to be the best par­ent you can be. All par­ents have times when parental reac­tions replace think­ing. It’s at that moment when you want to be reminded of how you’ve cho­sen to par­ent. It’s at that moment when you need your restraint to kick-in. It’s at that moment when you want to use con­scious dis­ci­pline so you can respond, not sim­ply react and punish—again.

This book is for par­ents who have chil­dren ages one through ten. I focus on that age group because I firmly believe that ages one through ten are the foun­da­tional years of life, the time when par­ents are learn­ing to par­ent, and chil­dren are just learn­ing about life. What’s cre­ated dur­ing those years tends to dic­tate how the rest of child­hood and par­ent­ing will go. It’s also the eas­i­est time to change your par­ent­ing style, before reac­tion habits are set in stone for both par­ent and child.

Believe me when I tell you I’m not an advo­cate of strict or per­mis­sive par­ent­ing. I’m not at all inter­ested in let­ting chil­dren off-the-hook. Quite the oppo­site, in fact, ask my kids! I am an advo­cate of lov­ing, sup­port­ive, empa­thetic, firm, clear, and unyield­ing par­ent­ing which respect­fully teaches chil­dren about behav­ior and life. That’s what I describe as Dis­ci­plin­ing Con­sciously.

This book shares new ways to look at and apply con­scious dis­ci­pline with­out react­ing, while still being firm enough to cre­ate change. In other words, the book shows you how to cre­ate a bal­ance between the job of cor­rect­ing a child and lov­ing a child.

http://reactrespond.com/

Who is Sharon Silver?

Sharon Silver has lived what every parent is living: a real life, parenting real children. Sharon is an parenting educator, speaker, coach, and radio and TV host with an intuitive understanding of the challenges parents face. Educated in parenting and early childhood development, with four certifications as a Parent Educator, she is a former facilitator for both The Cline/Fay Institute and Redirecting Children's Behavior, as well as an founder of Proactive Parenting.

Sharon Silver is a proud mom, an educator and a powerful speaker. Her sense of humor, and teaching style, make her easy to listen to, and creates a trustworthy environment for learning. Her mission has always been to create programs that help parents focus on what else can be done instead of going straight to punishment. Proactive Parenting™ is the result of that mission.

Sharon has worked in Corporate America, for small and large businesses, as well as owned her own comedy club with her husband of 31 years. As a result, Sharon understands the pressure parents face each day as they try to balance all that’s on their plates.

She has been a radio and TV host, and is currently the host of Stop Reacting-Start Responding on MomTV.com.

Through Proactive Parenting, Sharon does telephone and online seminars for corporations and working parents, does live seminars, locally and around the country, and is a public speaker for events of all kinds.

Over the past 18 years, parents, public and private school teachers, colleges, day-care directors and providers, corporations and service groups have all benefited from the programs and speeches she gives about how to use a balanced, real-life approach when disciplining, teaching and raising children. 

Sharon’s commitment to children and families resulted in her appearance on an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show called “Hitting, Spanking, Smacking: Should it happen to your child?”

Her passion for helping families and parenting can also be found when she contributes to AskMoxie.org, TheMomEntrepreneur.com and parentalwisdom.com.

My Thoughts

At first I wasn’t so sure why I requested this book as it isn’t Christian based.  But after going through the various ways to help me to stop reacting and respond to my kids, I must say that even though this book isn’t Christian based per say, it was a wonderful eye opener on how I tend to react instead of taking a breather.    Think about it.   You are tired and you child is whining like there is no tomorrow…  Why is the first reaction you will have after asking nicely to stop?  Yeah I figure you will say that…. the tone of voice goes up and sometimes we yell.

I love my kids and I know that yelling is not an answer.   I am willing to do whatever is necessary for me to reduce this reaction because I don’t like it.    This little book has helped me realize that reaction shouldn’t be the first thing coming out of me.   I should take the time to respond to the child.   Take the time to understand him or her.   To talk it out.  To guide them in expressing their feelings.   To discover what the issue behind the behaviour is all about.  I’ve discovered wonderful techniques on becoming a better mom, a better listener, a better encourager.   Some of these we are already practicing while other are interesting.   I also disagree with some like the giving the child a choice.   It is my experience that giving choices at a young age is not good.   I find that kids before the age of 5 years old won’t understand the concept.  

I particularly like her STRR acronym.   Stop.  Think. Realize. Resolve.  It is good for children but for parents too.    It is important to stop and think before having a reaction.  This will avoid many problems I find.    Then realizing what the problem is will help to find a solution to resolve it. 

I have a child that shut himself when he is upset.   I don’t like it much.  I would prefer if he would speak to me (without whining obviously).   Through these pages I have found some techniques that I want to apply with him to see if something will change.  

The author will present various ways to deal with behaviour, choices, feelings, frustration, grandparents, learning, public places, power struggle, reaction, real life, rules, self-esteem, separation anxiety, siblings and travel.    Each point will have one or two pages and concludes with a quick view of what you have just learned.  I find the quick view very useful as it permits me to go back and revise something on a specific subject.  The book was specifically written for parents who have children ages one to ten years old.   

Bottom line this book will help you to stay in control and your kids to stay kids.     If you ask me I think that it is an interesting book for any family.

The book can be purchase directly from Proactive Parenting.

Disclaimer: Thanks to the author for sending me the pdf version of the featured product for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the sponsor in any way.  All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World

Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World
Written by Ken Ham & Steve Ham
Published at MasterBooks

About the book

“As you take God’s Word and apply its eternal principles to the everyday issues you face with your family, you will begin to create a godly heritage – a legacy that will impact that generations to come in ways you never dreamed possible.
-Ken Ham

Christian families are struggling in a culture hostile to Christian values, and increasingly find themselves searching for answers and strategies to be more effective. Parents also face a disturbing trend of young people leaving home and leaving the church – and want to insure their children have a strong foundation of biblical faith and understanding. Discover how to create an incredible faith legacy in your family! Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World presents empowering insight for:

Surviving the culture wars as a family

Educating children – the Bible offers guidance

Practical tips for raising spiritually-healthy children

Solutions to the root cause of dysfunctional families

Discovering biblical authority as a parent

Discipline – necessary and lovingly administered

Ken Ham is joined by his brother, Steve Ham, in presenting this powerful look at how the principles and truth of Genesis are vital to the strong and lasting foundation of a family. Sharing their own stories of growing up in a “Genesis” family and sharing this legacy within their own families, it is an intensely personal and practical guide for parents.

Who are Ken Ham & Steve Ham?

Ken Ham is the founder of Answers in Genesis-U.S., the president of the Creation Museum, and a popular Christian speaker. He is the author or co-author of many books, and is heard daily on the radio program, “Answers in Genesis with Ken Ham,” on more than 300 stations worldwide.

Steve Ham contributes to the Answers in Genesis ministry through Raising Godly Children, speaking, writing and curriculum development. His passion for apologetics and creation evangelism resulted in the development of the “Answers for Life” evangelism tool used to help many people come to know Jesus Christ as their saviour. He and his wife live in Brisbane, Australia, with their two children.

My Thoughts

This book is a definite must have for any Christian families.    I didn’t know what to expect and I must say I am impressed with the information found in this book.   As we face more and more post-modern thinking, we need to be prepare and stand on a solid rock.    There is no place for indecision and hesitation when it concern the raising of our children.

The Ham brothers open up on their own family life as youngsters and as parents as well as give solid biblical teaching in this book.    They cover a multitude of subjects from the teaching our kids about God, the role of the father and mother, discipline, and much more.    They even cover the touchy subject of education.   I say touchy because people will judge homeschoolers for not sending their kids to school and homeschoolers might judge the others for sending their kids to school.   Ouch!    Personally, I respect the fact that some people prefers to send their kids to school.   We, however, have chosen homeschooling for various reasons.   But the more I discover what is going on in the school system and what might come in the future, I am glad to have followed God’s lead on homeschooling.

While reading this book, I received confirmation on some things we are doing as well as I took in some advices on changing other things in our family.    I want my kids to be more knowledgeable in God than I was (they already are in many ways) and be able to pass on their faith to their own kids eventually.   I pray that God will continue to guide us in our parenting job.

The century we are living in is a tough one.   Lots of events makes me wonder where our society is going.  But having a book like Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World is uplifting and confirms some of our decisions in training our kids.  I am strongly recommending this book to anyone who wants to stand firm and face the world.   Preparing our kids is an important task.   If you want to have some sound advice, check out Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World.

This review was possible because I received a copy of Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World from MasterBooks.

Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World is available everywhere even at amazon.ca.