Shepherding a Child's Heart, Revised and Updated
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This book is positively different!
I've read a lot of parenting books but none like this one. I felt both conviction and hope. Tedd Tripp helped me to see my role as a parent in a whole new light. My children and I are so blessed to have found this book!
April 15, 2013
My son is proof -- it works!
17 years ago, we had the privilege of having Tedd and his wife, Margy, visiting us at a time when we hit a brick wall in handling our first child. They taught us how to "discipline in love". We read the book and practiced it; good results followed immediately.
My son is 18. We couldn't be happier. He is a happy young man with lovely character and excellent moral discernment.
Now, I am a young adult pastor. I highly recommend this book to all parents.
March 17, 2013
A Must Read for Every Parent
This book has changed my life and challenged my way of thinking. The book has showed me deeper truths about the heart of children - how to best guide and relate to them. The book has a lot of wisdom about the use of biblical authority. It points out that discipline is for the sake of correction, not punishment. And how we as authority figures are not to focus merely on correcting bad behavior, but on engaging the child's heart for their spiritual well-being. After all, the goal is not raising well behaved children but Christ-seeking disciples. Tripp shares how confronting sin and encountering grace will transform the heart of our children.
I will be straightforward and say the book does advocate corporeal punishment (spankings). But Mr Tripp does so in a very biblical framework. Proverbs repeatedly mentions using "the rod" - and let's not forget, parents did not use timeouts/ groundings in ages past, so the idea should not shock us; rather, this is a new shift in thinking that reflects our modern way of thinking. But Tripp is very wise in the boundaries he advocates surrounding such measures: never doing it in wrath, never losing control, communicating love, and reconciling with the child after the act (not giving them the cold treatment).
I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Even if you don't agree with corporeal punishment, this is not the focus of the book, so there is plenty of wisdom to be gleaned from it relevant to all parents. I cannot say enough good things about it!
March 5, 2013
Some scary directives hidden behind good intention
The man thinks it is suitable to use corporal punishment (spanking, hand slapping, etc) against 8 month old babies. I understand the desire to train children to obey and to discipline them based on their heart issues. Tripp makes that clear at the beginning, and I appreciate that. However, could you imagine Jesus using corporal punishment against a child? Ever?
As parents we are to model to our children God's desire to be in relationship with us. This relationship is based on love and respect, not fear of punishment, but trust in his love because he first loved us and PUNISHED himself for our sake.
Discipline means teaching, guiding, leading. The verses in proverbs that are so often used to show that we ought to hit our children could be better translated. Please take time to research meanings for the Hebrew words translated "rod" (staff used to protect the sheep from wolves) and "child" (actually the word used probably means young man).
Don't just take Tripp's word for it.
While Tripp does a great job of laying out his intentions of training up children to love the Lord, and to discipline them by getting to the heart of the issues at hand in the child's life.... I encourage you to research the validity of HOW Tripp says we MUST discipline, as if he speaks for God himself that spanking and insisting on immediate obedience is the only way. God does not deal with us how Tripp says we must deal with our small children (and BABIES).
Still can't get over his description of how to discipline (hit) a disobedient 8 month old (in the first edition of this book). I don't think an 8 month old is able to disobey!
January 31, 2013