Two books that I'm currently reading are: The Strong Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson and Parenting By The Book by Dr. John Rosemond
Picture respectful, responsible, obedient children who entertain themselves without television or video games, do their own homework, and have impeccable manners. A pie-in-the-sky fantasy? Not so, says family psychologist and bestselling author Dr. John Rosemond. Any parent who so desires can grow children who fit that description—happy, emotionally-healthy children who honor their parents and their families with good behavior and do their best in school.
In the 1960s, American parents stopped listening to their elders when it came to child rearing and began listening instead to pop-psychology professional experts. Since then, raising children has become fraught with anxiety, stress, and frustration for many parents. The solution, says John, lies in raising children according to Biblical principles, the same principles that guided parents successfully for hundreds of years. They worked then, and they still work now!
- Above text excerpted from “Parenting By The Book” by John Rosemond
So, how did I arrive upon reading these two books, you ask?
Well, the twins’ pediatrician, who over the months of taking our twins to see him for routine doctor appointments and who we have come to know personally is also a Christian, recently recommended Parenting by The Book by Dr. John Rosemond. During my discussions with the pediatrician at one particular appointment, I was impressed that a). he would be so open about his Christian faith with me and b). that he would recommend a book that promotes a truly traditional approach to raising children according to Biblical principles. It was really refreshing to chat with a well-respected medical professional who doesn’t advocate for the pop-psychology and psycho-babble approach – which is so prevalent today - to raising and disciplining children.
As for the Strong-Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson, I have long known about this book and have heard it referenced many times from a number of other Christian parents, so I decided to take a closer look at this one too now that I'm a parent and dare I say it but a parent to a strong willed child myself.
