Book Review: Motivate Your Child

It's taken me awhile to get through this latest book in order to give it a review.  It's not a tough read, it just gives readers so much to think about that it's not the sort of book that you can skim in a weekend. Highlighter alert!

Motivate Your Child is subtitled "A Christian Parent's Guide to Raising Kids Who Do What They Need to Do Without Being Told."  It's not just about getting kids to do what needs to be done in the short term.  It's about building character and teaching kids to listen to their conscience.  It's about building a strong faith and guiding children to stay true to their convictions in spite of pressures to give in and take the easy way out. On a more practical note, it's about getting children to take more responsibility for their actions. And what parent doesn't want that?

It's a total family program which starts with parents developing their own faith and convictions. Chapters examine how to live with integrity, how to develop compassion, how to teach kids to take initiative, and how to handle correction.  Later chapters teach parents how to plan a "Family Time" where families talk about their faith and convictions and what it means to live out these qualities.

The authors' tone is positive throughout and they provide encouragement for all sorts of families, even those who don't have 2 parents as spiritual guides. It doesn't matter whether you're still planning a family, have young children, elementary-aged, or teenagers. All parents (and teachers) will find value in this volume.