Another Book

This one is Have a New Kid by Friday, by Kevin Leman.

It's very much on the order of Love and Logic. Lots of reality discipline and natural consequences.

It's also a good check up for the parents. It's a bit of an in your face reminder that almost everything traces back to the parents.

Pretty humbling. At least for me. Those attitudes and behaviors that I don't like in my kids have their seeds in me. Those gaps in their character mean work for me too, and not just on them, but on me.

It's a pretty decent book.

I love the Love and Logic book, but it's hard. It's a very good picture of how and why, but not so much the practical.

I need practical.

New Kid by Friday really hits the mark for me in terms of what to say and what to do in certain situations. And, he offers it up for many, many of the situations I have here in my house.

I see the clock ticking on these little boy-men who are almost half-way done. There's no time to waste thinking it'll work itself out or if I'm just a little more this or that. Nope. Times up.

Anyway, on top of being a pretty good parental guide, he's down to earth and a little bit funny.

I thought I'd share my most favorite funny quote from the book.

The subject is "my child wants to go to a youth group at another church". I love his response.

" Lots of children (especially teens) want to go to youth activities at another church. Usually there are good reasons for that. Some churches have really cool youth groups; others are stodgy and old-fashioned and plain uninteresting. Or just maybe there's some cute girl or guy who seems awfully interesting at the other church's group.

Parent, if you are going to pick a fight because your child wants to go to someone else's church, there's a clinical term to describe you: nuts! Be glad your child at least wants to go to church! Would an alternative--sitting on the corner smoking crack cocaine--be better?"