Don't Make Me Count to Three: a Mom's Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline

Location: Home » esoterica » General AAS » Don't Make Me Count to Three: a Mom's Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline

Similar Items:

•	Wise Words For Moms
•	Shepherding a Child's Heart
•	Teach Them Diligently: How To Use The Scriptures In Child Training
•	My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts
•	Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes...in You and Your Kids

Customer Reviews: Read 90 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Very helpful September 9, 2005
148 out of 181 found this review helpful

I can totally understand the frustration of the reviewer who found this book to be "religious tripe" (or whatever she called it). This book is NOT relevant to a non-Christian. However, to a believer, it is filled with wisdom. It has given me more patience and kindness in parenting my children and also reminded me to turn to Scripture for everything I need as a parent. There is no way I can personally change my child's heart. Only God can do that. And only hearing the Scriptures will help my child to know when he or she is not following them. This is a great book which is truly based on the Bible.

5 out of 5 stars

One of the best parenting books I've read July 13, 2004
60 out of 80 found this review helpful

While no one book (aside from the Bible) can be "THE manual" for raising children, this one definitely should be on the list of must reads. The reason for this is that it's loaded with scripture and practical application of that scripture. Ginger Plowman has done what I've wished I had the knowledge and time to do -- she's given me a practical way to use scripture in the day to day discipline of my kids without it being dry and "preachy". This book is easy to read and filled with real-life examples from the author to illustrate her points and I look forward to referring back to it as necessary.

2 out of 5 stars

Extremely focused on spanking only August 12, 2006
58 out of 115 found this review helpful

I did find some of the advice in this book to be helpful and convicting spiritually. However, I cannot recommend it because of the serious problems. In the first place, the only discipline tool for punishment that the book recommends is spanking (although in one example, in the middle of the *large* section about spanking, the author takes away privileges, but she never recommends that). She never acknowledges or addresses the possibility that the "rod" in scripture might mean anything other than or in addition to literal physical discipline, and she provides no analysis of what the "rod" actually meant in the time of the writing of Proverbs nor of what a "child" is in that context (what age was the writer referring to?). Her point would be much stronger if she addressed some of these issues, but she just glibly throws out the standard scriptures, without any meaningful interpretation or analysis, and then moves on.

In the second place, she often makes strong claims that the advice she is giving is biblical, without backing that up with references of any kind. For example, she has a list of guidelines for biblical spanking, with instructions for how to spank the right way. I think what she probably means is that if you follow these instructions, you will be sure to avoid treating your children in a way that is not consistent with biblical passages about how we should treat others or how we should respond to sin. But she provides no references and never explains that the Bible actually doesn't give explicit guidelines for spanking. A reader unfamiliar with this fact would get the distinct impression that this list comes straight from the Bible, when in fact the things on the list are never actually mentioned in the Bible at all (at least not in this context). There are other claims she makes, where she states her opinion (or conventional wisdom) about certain aspects of Christian parenting but labels these opinions as biblical without providing any references or just throwing a few verses out with no analysis of the verse or its context at all.

5 out of 5 stars

A Very Conversational and Balanced Look at Child-Raising January 10, 2007
55 out of 82 found this review helpful

As young parents looking for resources to help guide us through the maze of raising our children, we found Ginger Plowman's balanced, personal, and very thoughtful approach in Don't Make Me Count to Three refreshing and insightful.

I've read a lot of books on child-raising, all filled with great spiritual wisdom and Biblical instruction and yet many read like stuffy lectures. What Ginger Plowman brings in her book is personal experience, lighthearted wisdom, and an earnest desire to help others raise children who love God.

I'm especialy pleased with her effort because she avoids the dangerous trap of those who subscribe to Biblical child-raising: legalism. As a church kid who has now entered the world of parenting, I have a sensitive eye towards an approach that empahsizes rules rather than a relationship with God. Ultimately our job as parents is not to create moral citizens, but young men and woman who have their own passionate walk with God. Ginger focuses on matters of the heart and shaping a child from the inside-out. I like this balanced approach very much and I think you will as well.

Buy this book--its a delightful and easy read--and you'll see your parenting skills dramatically sharpen.

5 out of 5 stars

Keeping It Real September 2, 2005
52 out of 72 found this review helpful

Ginger Plowman speaks with candid wit and compelling wisdom as she invites mothers to apply Scripture practically in the arena of everyday discipline. Speaking plainly about the importance of reaching our children's hearts rather than simply reaching for correct behavior, the author unpacks tools for discipline that work. She asks parents to confront misbehavior with heart-probing questions that allow the Holy Spirit room to work with conviction on their hearts as children realize they must "own" their behavior and be accountable to God for their choices. Parents are the greatest influence on the lives of their children. If you take your role as a parent seriously, this book is a must-read.

Powered by Associate-O-Matic

T-shirts, Posters

Pentagram T-shirts, bags, etc...

Gothic Posters