I just wanted to say that this set CHANGED MY LIFE. My two sons are not only much more obedient (and happy!) than ever, but we finally understand our BIBLICAL role as a parent, which frees us from guilt, worry, etc. We are now finishing teaching this book as a bible study at church - that's how much it changed us! People have stopped us in public places to tell us how happy & well behaved my children are. And that's with a 3 yr old and an unmedicated 9 yr old with ADHD! The handbook really helps you to dig deeper into the word and learn all the verses you need to use while parenting and disciplining.

We were given Tedd Tripp's book as part of our work with a biblical counselor. It helps us to see what how the gospel relates to all of parenting and just how much the Scripture has to say about how we raise our children.

This book changed my life too, it nearly destroyed my family. As a naive new parent, I went to a seminar by Tripp. I desperately wanted to do things right, to parent Biblically. My spouse and I read and reread the book and faithfully followed the principles; so for the next 2 years we could not understand why our relationship with our son was deteriorating. Instead of learning to obey, he was learning to lie so he wouldn't get caught. He did not respect us, he feared us. We cried out to God in prayer asking what we were doing wrong, there was no fruit in our family and we were miserable. I went back to the rod verses that Tripp quotes as the basis for spanking and I was led to study deeper. Instead of taking them at face value (which does seem to indicate that you should punish children by beating them with a weapon), I did word studies on each word in Hebrew. I consulted with a rabbi to confirm what I was learning. I was shocked to find that orthodox Jews, who still follow the Law in its entirety and are careful to obey Old Testament precepts literally, do not understand those verses to mean that a parent should hit children with a rod. Hebrew understanding is much different. Our family is also very different now. We have had a complete paradigm shift on what Christian discipline is. Our son is in therapy working out the attachment issues he suffered and our family is fruitful now, in many ways, as God has blessed us with 2 more. I enjoy parenting now that I'm not looking for "willful disobedience" around every corner. If I were to sum it up I'd say that Tripp makes sense on addressing your child's heart, but he believes the way to do that is by using behaviorism, not discipleship.Please don't be as naive as I was, my family suffered so much. Dig deeper, study Scripture in the original language, strive to understand at more than just face value. Try Heartfelt Discipline by Clay Clarkson instead or even better, Biblical Parenting by Crystal Lutton.

Good focus on biblical scriptures. Wish there were more books on parenting that were so biblically centered. Careful though, the doctrine is quite messed up. Tripp believes that God chooses which children (people) will be saved. The others are condemed to hell. How do you raise a child who is predestined to hell? How do counsel parents whose children are not chosen to be Christians? How do you tell parents of that cuddly newborn that God may not want that child in heaven? When your teenage child runs wild as a non-Christian what good is it to pray for them since God has not chosen your child? What becomes of your child's self-worth and life once they realize that God does not love them enough to offer them forgiveness and eternal life? Beware of Calvinistic doctrine when it comes to children and salvation!