50 Heart-Based Strategies for All the Stages of Your Child’s Life
By Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller
If someone were to ask me, “What’s the hardest job you’ve ever had?” I would say, “Being a parent,” hands down.
You don’t get paid to be a parent. There are no sick days and you don’t always get to break for lunch. You don’t get to “clock out” and the rewards you receive generally take a while to surface. My oldest is five now and I still have a lot to learn regarding parenting and all of its ups and downs. I have started to see little “bonuses” come my way, though.
I can remember a couple of years ago when then three-year-old would throw the biggest tantrums when I would send her to her room for being naughty. She would scream and throw things and pound on the door. I’m sure in that moment I didn’t think it would ever get better. I’m sure I also couldn’t believe it was my child that was acting that way.
Now, however, I can look back and see how far we’ve come. I see my beautiful little girl who asks my permission when someone offers her a treat at the bank or the grocery store, never pouting when I say “no”. I honestly can’t remember that last time I sent her to her room. This is not to say there won’t be those times, I know there will be, but I can say we’ve come a long way from those “terrible three’s”.
I love when I find great resources on parenting that are Biblically based. I really enjoyed Don’t Make Me Count to Three
What I liked…
I liked the simple navigation and short chapters. Every child has different issues and not everything in this book will apply to every family. The fifty chapter glossary at the beginning makes it easy to find the problems and solutions you are personally looking for, from transferring responsibility to losing the blame game. Each chapter goes over different problems and suggestions for solutions. There were certain chapters in particular that I found applied to me at this stage of life. The chapter on mealtimes, for example, talked about using table conversation to build relationships, and how it’s a good idea to sit down at the table together, even if everyone isn’t hungry. I have been trying to implement dinnertime as family time for a while, and this chapter gave some great tips on how to make the most of that time each night.
I also liked that the writing wasn’t “preachy”. The authors make suggestions, but they never come across as “know it all’s”. There is never anywhere in the book that suggests “this is the only way to do such and such thing.” Instead, they provide ideas and make it clear that not everything works for everyone.
Recommendation…
I highly recommend The Christian Parenting Handbook to parents in all stages of parenting, from parents of toddlers to teens. It’s a great resource and is one I will return to again as different issues arise. The book takes a heart-based approach, because that is really where behavior issues stem from. If you are looking for some new ideas to implement with your kids, this is the book for you.
About the authors…
Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller are the authors and editors of numerous books, parent training curriculum, and children’s programs designed to strengthen families. They are the founders of the National Center for Biblical Parenting and Biblical Parenting University. To learn more about Scott and Joanne you can visit their websites at biblicalparenting.info and biblicalparentinguniversity.com.
How about you? What parenting strategies have you found helpful in the past? Unhelpful?
I always love hearing from you. Until next time, Happy Reading!
Yours in Christ,
S
Disclosure:
I received The Christian Parenting Handbook from Booksneeze. I was not asked to write a positive review. All views and opinions expressed are solely and completely my own. I received no compensation other than a print copy of the book featured in this post, which is mine to keep. This post also contains affiliate links. To learn more, please read my full policy.
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seems like a great reference. 🙂