Once upon a time, in a land not too far away, I was a young mom looking for helpful child training tools. Some wise homeschool moms suggested I try Doorposts materials, especially The If-Then Chart and The Blessing Chart. I ordered my posters, wrote consequences onto the If-Then Chart, and laminated both posters. Having the posters did increase my consistency in disciplining my children, and also provided a helpful resource with Scriptures to review with my children. I still have those posters, though I cut off the consequences section after awhile.

When I received the updated versions of The If-Then Chart and The Blessing Chart, I was very pleased with the changes Doorposts had made. The new posters include a typed font instead of one that looks hand-written. The posters are in color, rather than black-and-white (which they had previously suggested families could color in.) I was very thankful to see they were now using the English Standard Version, which is easier for my children to understand. But, the largest change lay in the tone of the posters overall. The posters now have a more positive focus on how Christ set an example for us, and how we are changed when we repent and receive the gift of salvation.

The Blessing Chart has 1 Thessalonians 5:11 printed across the top, as a reminder to parents that we need to encourage our children when we see them behaving well and making wise choices. This poster allows parents to easily praise a child for godly behavior. The poster contains three columns. The first column lists ten positive behaviors: obedience, submission to authority, truthfulness, cheerfulness and thankfulness, kindness, self-control, peacemaking, giving/sharing, wise speech, and diligence. The second column includes Bible verses that teach us what the Bible states about that character trait. The last column has a verse showing how Jesus exemplified that character trait.

The If-Then Chart has Proverbs 13:24 at the top, encouraging parents to be diligent in training their children. This poster is a bit different from The Blessing Chart, since it includes four columns, one of which is blank. The first column lists ten behavior problems: disobedience, defiance and rebellion, lying, arguing and complaining, disrespect and rude behavior, hitting and other physical attacks, teasing and causing trouble, stealing, name calling and foolish speech, and laziness. The second column includes a verse that shows us God's view of that sin. The third column shares how the Gospel changes us in that sin area, and the last column is blank so parents can list consequences for that action.

The individual charts from Doorposts are available in two different sizes. You can purchase a laminated 8.5x11 inch poster, or you can purchase the 16x22 inch poster. I love the portability of the small charts, as well as the fact that they can be used with write-on/wipe-off markers. The larger poster is not laminated, but it is printed on a heavy-weight glossy poster paper. If you have it laminated without listing consequences, you can still use a write-on/wipe-off marker to list consequences. This prevents you from doing as I did and cutting off the consequences column when you feel the need to change them. You could also list your consequences, laminate the poster, and use labels over the sections you want to update later. I wish I'd thought of that with my first set of posters.

Each poster comes with instructions and suggestions. The laminated small posters include the instructions on the back side of the poster. The large posters include a separate printed copy of the instructions. The If-Then Poster also includes suggestions for consequences, though every family should pray over the consequences they wish to implement within their own home.

I hadn't been using my original Doorposts posters in recent years, but we were struggling with our five year old daughter's behavior. We were stating rules to her, and disciplining (inconsistently) for misbehavior, but we hadn't given her a foundation for those rules. When I filled in the new, small laminated poster and hung it on my door, it helped make our rules concrete. She could see what were wrong behaviors, and what the consequences would be. When I had to discipline her, I had Bible verses right there to discuss with her. It got her attention, and made a difference – as long as I remained consistent. Selecting consequences together also helped my husband and I to be on the same page in the discipline process.

These posters are wonderful tools to help parents be consistent in their consequences and point children to the Bible as their guidebook for behavior – but, they aren't miracle workers. The real key lies in being diligent to correct sinful behavior and being prayerfully consistent in the consequences. These posters can help with that, but they won't do the work for you.

-Product review by April Elstrom, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, October, 2016