Parenting Help: Taming the Lecture Bug and Getting Your Kids to Think
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I have been diving into a new to me parenting help thanks to a copy of Parenting Made Practical‘s Taming the Lecture Bug and Getting Your Kids to Think book and video as part of the Homeschool Review Crew.
There’s no doubt that parenting is tough. No one receives a manual for their kid at birth to help you navigate life as you raise them to be fully functioning adults.
Yes, Christians can turn to the Bible for some guidance when it comes to rearing a child. But, sometimes reading and praying over Scripture just isn’t enough.
Many of us end up doing what our parents did with occasional adjustments that we see as ways they could have done things differently.
Even though my eldest is now a young adult, I feel like there is room for improvement when it comes to parenting my boys. While I see the good in them, I can also see the ‘bad’ (aka sin) that needs parental direction to get back on the path God asks us to walk. Seeking out wisdom from those who have walked the walk and are reaping what they have sown is the best approach for me. Making sure they share the same basic Christian beliefs as me is another key I look for in guidance.
About Parenting Made Practical
Joey and Carla Link are the couple behind Parenting Made Practical. They have ministered to other Christian parents for two decades, offering a no-nonsense approach to parenting. With three grown children, they have years of first-hand experience in the home as well as years helping other parents.
Their company offers a variety of resources for parents from a blog containing pertinent articles, books, and videos.
Beyond the title I was sent to review, Parenting Made Practical also offers these resources:
Why Can’t I Get My Kids to Behave?
Navigating the Rapids of Parenting
Dating, Courting & Choosing a Mate… What Works?
What Every Child Should Know Along the Way
Parenting Anew with Taming the Lecture Bug and Getting Your Kids to Think
This book and video combination by Parenting Made Practical is powerful. Although, I can see that it is only as powerful as you let it be.
While you could use either the book or video on its own, together they reinforce the messages contained within. I know that I often need multiple exposures to the same information to fully take it to heart and begin to make changes based on it.
Key Parenting Takeaways from Taming the Lecture Bug and Getting Your Kids to Think
There is a LOT of great information and examples of it in play within this bundle. Below are just a few of the key takeaways for me.
* Kids need to have a TEACHABLE heart before you begin instruction
* Instruction needs to happen when you are CALM and not in the moment
* Training your child needs to include a plan for accountability that you STICK to
* Parenting cannot be done at your convenience, but rather when it is NEEDED
* Parents need to help their child have a ‘way of escape’ BEFORE temptation knocks
* Lecturing your kids just serves to put the responsibility on YOUR back
Why Include the Video with the Book?
Watching the video is the same as if you went to one of their Parent’s Night Out seminars. It is a past seminar recorded and edited so key points can be highlighted through text. Both auditory and visual learning is happening with this particular resource that lasts 53 minutes.
I viewed the video before I began reading the book. Some of the stories shared are the same, although presented a little differently. The key messages are definitely the same even if the layout is a little different.
One thing that I really liked is how their daughter Amy helped them role play a few scenarios. Seeing something in action can be quite powerful.
Implementing Parenting Wisdom
As much as I may feel convicted to implement everything all at once, I know that years of lecturing are not likely to be undone overnight. I will need a lot of rehabilitation to get out of the habits of reminding and lecturing when boys fail to follow through on things.
One thing I am seriously considering is picking up a copy of Why Can’t I Get My Kids to Behave? It is referenced a few times in the title I received and I am wondering if it might help me with forming those new habits.
Even without adding more reading or viewing to my schedule, one thing I am working to be better at is consistency in accountability. We have fallen into the pattern of my asking the teens for their schoolwork to rarely have it given to me right away…or even within a day of asking.
Constant reminders is something I found myself doing with my eldest son, especially during his senior year. While he has adjusted okay to college life, I do wonder if my reminders did undercut his ability to build internal motivation and get his work done in advance instead of at the last minute.
Final Thoughts on This Parenting Help
If you are a Christian parent looking for no-nonsense wisdom rooted in Scripture, then you need to pick up this or other resources from Parenting Made Practical.
I am convinced that God wants us to be in community. Part of that is to learn from those who have walked the path ahead of us. The Links are Christian parents who have done just that and are happy to help others in their struggle to raise their children into godly adults.
Many thanks to Joey and Carla Link for entering my house through these resources to help convict my heart when it comes to changing my parenting style. I want my boys to be godly men who go on to raise godly children. And that path needs to start with me!
Don’t just take my word for how we found this to be. Visit Parenting Made Practical post on the Homeschool Review Crew website to see what other homeschooling parents thought about this resource.
