1-2-3 Magic for Christian Parents
Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D. and Chris Webb, M.S., M.A
Reviewed by Laura Williams
As a Mom of seven children, I can tell you wholeheartedly that there
are times when children want to do what they want to do and not what
they are told to do. Those times are when I'm ready to pull my
hair out. One child usually instigates an argument with another
over a toy or because his or her little sister takes off with his
pencil or her book. I feel like a referee those days and not much
gets accomplished or so it seems that way.
This book, 1-2-3 Magic for Christian Parents, not only gives you wisdom
to get your children to listen, but the authors back it up with
scripture.
Chapter 4 of the book talks about "the two biggest discipline mistakes
a parent makes. Which are too much talking and too much
emotion". Well I'm holding my hand in the air as guilty as
charged on that one. This statement is backed up with the
scripture that "...he who holds his tongue is wise" (Proverbs 10:19b).
And further relates that the Bible teaches one to be
self-controlled. So in the moment that I talk to much
and show way too much emotion because the child did something wrong,
it's not doing anything but causing the situation to be worse. I
learned by reading this chapter that I should curb my emotions and
tongue in situations like this and reserve them for times of excitement
when a child does something praiseworthy or when I am showing affection
toward him or her.
And Chapter 8 is another one of my favorites as it deals with sibling
rivalry, tantrums, and pouting. Surely this household of seven
children doesn't have any of those things. HA! Guess
again. Just like the portion in this book about a child being
tricky... "some provoke in subtle ways and others in more aggressive
ways". Yep. That hit the nail on the head and drove it right
through the board. Again the book offers you the solutions to
these "issues" and backs them up with scripture. I will be putting
these suggestions into practice in my home.
So if you are looking for some guidance to getting your home back to a
peaceful or relatively peaceful abode, this book may just be what you
are needing.
You can find out more information at The Family Coaching Clinic and
Parent Magic.