I had actually purchased this book while I was still pregnant with my first, and read about half of it. I remembered liking the ideas, but thinking that I wouldn't be needing them for a little while yet. Well that time has come, and I pulled it back out over the weekend.

First off, I love the way she starts the book. My favorite quote so far: "Sin has less to do with our parenting ability and more to do with the state of our kids' hearts. After all, I would venture to guess that God was a good father - yet both Adam and his wife, Eve, disobeyed Him." Now that certainly doesn't mean that we take our responsibilities as parents lightly, BUT it does help us to remember that no matter what we do, our children are not and will never be perfect.

I've just been skipping around at this point, but I love the way she constantly refers to Scripture, not only to guide and encourage us as parents but also to use as a tool with our children. There are lots of ideas to try when your kids don't seem to respond, and new twists on some old ones: it you use time-outs for instance, she also suggests having a prayer corner where the child may go to ask forgiveness. If an older sibling is acting too much like a little parent, then ask that they help with a "parental task" such as preparing the other child's lunch. Or if the two of them have been fighting incessantly, how about making them eat dinner while being handcuffed (toy variety!) together? And many ideas are proactive, teaching wisdom rather than just focusing on punishment. How about using M&Ms to teach the parable of the talents?

Anyway, I still need to read quite a bit more of it, but I konw it will be a helpful tool at our house.