Parenting is challenging work. Sometimes parenting can be even harder when a child does not respond as we think they should. A great resource for changing how we parent in order to change how our children respond can be found in Parenting with Loving Correction, Practical Help for Raising Young Children by Sam Crabtree.

Parenting with Loving Correction is offered in two formats, paperback retailing for $12.99 or as an eBook also retailing for $12.99. No additional materials need to be purchased to go with this book though a Bible is recommended.

Learn how, as a parent, to respond to a child with three key steps. These three key steps are to always keep responses God-centered, always mean what is said, and reward obedience rather than disobedience.

At 122 pages this book is short and to the point, making it easy to read and stay the course. There are three parts and nine chapters total within the book. If someone has trouble reading and staying committed to long books this is going to be much easier to read in its entirety.

As a mom of eleven children, I have been parenting for a while now. But I have one child who challenges me in ways that none of the others have. It is for this child that I wanted to read and implement aspects of this book. He tends to try and test my patience in ways that cause me to lose sight of the big picture of parenting.

This book is geared towards parents, particularly parents of young children. The sooner this book and the principles within are implemented in the parenting journey the earlier the methods can work. While it can work when children are older (as in my case) it is going to take more consistency and a bit more effort on the part of the parent.

As mentioned, the younger the child is, the easier it will be to begin and implement the key concepts in this book. This is because there are no habits and behaviors ingrained in the child or responses ingrained in the parent.

When reading this book, I decided to read through the entire book first. After I had read the whole book, I went back to pay special attention to each chapter and truly work them into my life.

If a fix it quick attitude adjustment for a child is wanted, this is not going to be the book for that result. This book is going to show parents how to work with and “fix” the behavior of the child but to do so parents will need to look at and fix their own behaviors as well.

I think the hardest part for me with reading and implementing the thoughts of this book is the do it now part. When trying to train or retrain a child and oneself, it is necessary to focus on doing it immediately. If a wrong is committed or an attitude needs tweaking, it needs to be done then at that point rather than later. This makes sense to me because if I wait then I have lost that opportunity. But it is hard to implement with a household full of children.

The part I really liked about the book is the scripture passages of both showing where the ideas come from and to encourage parents in their walk with God and in their walk as a parent. It is nice to know we are not alone, and that God is right there helping us every step of the way.

The section of the book that resonated the most with me is the last chapter titled “In the Moment.” In the moment, I know I often react badly on my part to my child because I am overwhelmed. This reflects badly on me but comes across to my child as being on them. I went into this book knowing that but really was convicted with it even more as the book went on.

Parenting is very much working on ourselves as much as it is working with our children in their lives. I encourage everyone to get a copy or gift a copy to the young parents in your lives. This is a wonderful parenting book.

Was there anything I disagreed with in this book or anything that I would not be implementing in my home? Yes.

Within the book where it talks about how young parents should begin training up their child, it talks about allowing a baby to cry. Not meaning a very young newborn but a baby who is neither hungry nor hurting. This is not my parenting style and I will probably never allow any of my babies to self-sooth or cry alone. I am a mother who does not believe in letting children cry it out and would want to know this about a book before purchasing.

After having read and implemented parts of this book I can say that yes it does work. While I did not get immediate results, after a few months of consistency things have begun to shift in our home and my “difficult” child has made great strides as have I.

It is a wonderfully written book that is easy to read and understand. The author explains things well and gives practical examples of how to implement things he is teaching as well as how to respond to behaviors that might arise.

I would recommend this book to young parents or parents of young children. It is an informative book to read and then re-read. I can see myself coming back to the book as I parent my children as each child is different and I might need to tweak how I implement something. Plus, it is always good to have a fall back for reference when parenting gets hard and some reassurance is needed.

From my personal experience, it is easier to change how I parent and thus how my younger children behave and respond than it is with my older children. My older children and I have a longer history of not using loving correction in our parenting journey and thus it is taking longer to retrain both them and me. Therefore, it is going to take longer to change those ingrained responses and behaviors.

In conclusion, Parenting with Loving Correction, Practical Help for Raising Young Children by Sam Crabtree is an informative book to help parents learn how to lovingly and Biblically parent and correct their children. This is done with love and immediacy to achieve the desired results.

-Product review by Erin Slocum, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, December 2019