I have been reading a book called "The New Dare To Discipline" by Dr.James Dobson. It is a good common-sense approach to discipline. I have found some new ideas in this book for disciplining. I am going to be trying a few of his methods myself. If you get the chance to read this book, I think you will like it.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), November 25, 2001

Answers

It really is ashame that our society has forgotten the definitions of discipline and punishment. As soon as the word discipline is used it almost always has some punishment ( judgement ) connotation connected to it. Someone who is said to be a strict disciplinarian is often times thought of as being a person who routinely beats his children. It is soo far from the truth. As parents it is our God given responsibility to provide discipline to our children! Most in today's world turn their noses up when it comes to the Truths found in God's Word and as a result we have twisted values and no moral code. How can we teach a child that he comes out of some primordial ooze.. started off as a fish.. then evolved into a monkey and then tell that child he has to have self-esteem. What mixed messages we send.

-- Ken in Maine (kenjan@nh.adelphia.net), November 25, 2001.

Melissa~

Another good book about discipline and correction is "Creative Correction" by Lisa Welchel. She was Blair on the old "Facts of Life " show. It is published by Dr. Dobson's Focus on the Family. It has great scripture references to use when correcting inappropriate behavior in kids. I have also found some of them useful for when I lose my temper with the kids!! I just meditate on the right verse.

-- Ivy in NW AR (balch84@cox-internet.com), November 25, 2001.

Dr. Dobson's Dare to Discipline and The Strong Willed Child were probably the two biggest influences on how I raised my children.

A few years ago, my cousin loaned me Raising Children God's Way. I read this book with my children so they would have a more biblical perspective of "why" Mom insists on certain standards of behavior and respect that is not found in common secular society.

If I were to start over from the beginning, Raising Children God's Way is the book I would choose for our family, although Dobson has never let me, or my kids down.

Does the New Dare to Discipline have any new revelations of child rearing that are not in his older books?

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), November 26, 2001.

"Parenting With Love and Logic" by Foster Cline MD and Jim Fay. The subtitle says "teaching children responsibility" I need to read this again since it has been about 10 years.

Another book that I thouroughly enjoyed was "The Gift of the Blessing" by Gary Smalley & John Trent,Ph.D. It isn't a parenting book per se, but very enlightening to me as a parent. As a child I never felt that my best was good enough. I became frustrated at an early age trying to gain approval that wasn't there for me, so I became a rebellious teen. This book made me aware that the people in my life need to HEAR me SAY that they matter to me.

-- Jo (mamamia2kids@msn.com), November 26, 2001.

Laura, I never read the old one, but according to what he has said in the book, most of the changes regard updates just in certain facts and statistics, no real fundamental changes.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), November 26, 2001.