Review: Motivate Your Child

Over the past few weeks I've been working my way through a book called "Motivate Your Child".   I have to admit, it's been an interesting read and has lead to many good discussions with my son.  It has also led to me making some changes in our life.   Giving me some guidance into ways I can further strengthen my lad in his walk with the Lord God.  Helping him hopefully to turn into a man able to stand against the standards of the world and confident in his ability to stand for himself and for God.

Allow me a moment to walk you through the chapters in this book.   The book is divided into two sections.   Each part is further sub-divided.
Part One: Moral Development in Children.
1. Internal Versus External Motivation
2. Parenting requires strategy
3. What is the conscience?
4. Helping kids choose to do what's right.
5. When kids make mistakes.
6. Learning to value integrity.
7. Compassion: thinking beyond oneself
8. Kids taking initiative.
9. What about consequences?
10. Putting the conscience to work outside the home.

Part Two: Spiritual Development in Children
1. God's Plan
2. Family time once a week
3. Relationship is foundational
4. Scripture + Creativity = Impact
5. Practicing faith teaches that it's real
6. Prepare for resistance
7. Leading a child to God
8. Children and the Holy Spirit.
9. Connecting children to the bible.
10. Going it Solo
11. Will you take the Family Challenge?

As you can see it's a step by step process throughout the book.  Leading you from one thought to the next with the whole goal of helping children internalize the reasons why they should live a life in accordance to the will of God.

It's hard work leading children to understand why they should live a certain way and Dr.Scot Turansky and Joanne Miller want very much to give parents tools in the training and the educating of children into understanding internally why they should live as they should.   That instead of mom or dad saying "live this way because I say so" it becomes a "I live this way because I know it to be the right thing to do".   Don't we all as parents want to learn to parent our children's hearts?

So how am I learning to parent my son's heart?

1. My father has recently passed away and I have become acutely aware of how his method of helping to raise me affected me.   And I see myself doing the same with my son and this book has given me a heads up on how to change some of that.  :)   This is a good thing.  I want to provide more of a balance and now I have some of thoughts in my head as to how to better achieve that.  :)   Balancing those quick flairs of temper with better conversation and completely separate occasions of speaking words of truth into his life of the positive things I see him and what I thoroughly enjoy with him.  The result is already apparent as my boy is learning to talk more openly to me about what he is thinking and WHY he is thinking it.

2. Through this book I have been given some additional insight into how to help my boy to learn how to do more things on his own.  :)   To that end I am giving my boy the directive that every day he needs to find something ON HIS OWN in an effort to be a helpful member of this household.   And you know what amazes me?   My lad has stepped up!    He's been sweeping floors, helping with shoveling snow, feeding bunnies, tidying tables, and more.   It's so lovely to see him step up to the plate like this.

3. I spend time talking with my boy about some of the things I read in this book.   I read him some of the scenarios contained within and ask him what he would do.  He gives me his ideas and then I tell him what other children did and sometimes he is just so shocked.  So we talk about why that is and how everyone has issues they struggle with and how they need to learn how to listen to God about how to deal with those issues.

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Do I think you should take advantage of the current offer?   Get $150 worth of free stuff if you buy the book before the end of January?

FOR SURE.

Do I think it matters if you get the freebies or not?   Not really.  :)   I think this book is worth getting as it gives parents reason to think about how they are raising their children and WHY.  It helps parents consider more than the external actions but about the hearts of their children and influencing them full well for the kingdom of God.

So go on, get the book.  Get it now, get the free gifts.  But if you get the book after the deadline.. that's a good thing as well.   Buy it.  Think on it.  Help your children grow into the people God has called them to be. :)

Motivate Your Child can be found on  Amazon, $12.45 for a printed book and $9.78 for Kindle. And, if you purchase a book before January 31, 2015, you can email your receipt to [email protected] and receive $150 in FREE parenting resources from the National Center for Biblical Parenting!