Rating: 
Summary: Shepherding a Child's Heart
Review: This is a very bad book that wears the cloak of Biblical authority to hoist a regressive, abusive, punative, unwise and unloving methodology of child mircormanagement. I would give it 0 stars if it were possible. The book contains no actual wisdom, but is a projection of a fundamentalist desire and need of control and is itself based on the theological notion of object-faith (the idea that faith is a belief that corresponds to objective things apart from one's self). And just as information can more or less relay the status of things, Tripp's contention of constant punative intervention to correct the inherently 'sinful' child so he can learn what is good is a betrayal of the Christian heart in its deepest sense. It betrays Christianity as deeply as the aplogists, objectivizing faith into simple correspondence and completely abandoning the pathless illumination of the heart. William Blake said long ago: "Jesus is the imagination". Just so, cultures from all ages have used their particular conceptual idols to justify their known and unknown emotional agendas. They have forgotten their active involovement via the imagination in their own interpretations. And more damning: to micromanage a child as Tripp would have you is to either emotionally labotomize him, or to guarantee deep seated anger, resentment and rebellion. The book is extreme, caustic, and displays a shockingly accluded approach to Biblical interpretation and child rearing that nearly rises to level of self-parody.
Rating: 
Summary: The most reread book in the house
Review: This is hands down the best parenting book I have ever read. It has been read more times than any other book in our house. The more I read it, the more I desire to truely live for God myself, as well as raise children whose innermost desire is to do the same. I would recommend that every Christian parent read it at least once.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific parenting book
Review: This is one of the best books on parenting I've ever read. It goes beyond simple pop-pyschology and behavior modification to deal with character--both the child's and the parent's!
Rating:
Summary: would give zero stars if I could
Review: This is one of the worst Christian parenting books on the market (the Ezzo materials and Michael and Debi Pearl books are tied for worst place with this one). It is scripture-twisting, and legalistic and in my opinion cruel. I am a Christian mom who wants to raise my kids to love the Lord and to behave nicely, but spanking them for every single infraction is NOT the way to get to their hearts! I was spanked as a child and beleive me, I did not grow up to respect my parents or to love the Lord. Instead I behaved "correctly" to avoid being spanked, and I was afraid of God, thinking He was a punishing, mean God, not a loving, just God. If you would like to read a GOOD book on Christian parenting, check out anything by Dr. William Sears (Christian Parenting, or The Discipline Book) or Elizabeth Pantley. I do NOT recommend this book, and am very sad when I see churches offering this stuff as a small group study. It is damaging and focuses on Old Testament concepts, which as Christians, we are not under that Law, but under the Grace of Christ.
Rating: 
Summary: Good theoretical content, but too much emphasis on spanking
Review: Tripp makes the very important point that we should focus on changing our children's hearts rather than just modifying their behavior, and he makes some very insightful arguments about how traditional methods of discipline fail today because they were never biblically based in the first place. Their purpose was force children to comply with their parents' wishes rather than to produce grace-filled children who freely serve God. I expected Tripp to focus a great deal on prayer, because only God can truly change hearts. No matter how well we discipline, children can still choose to rebel inwardly. Instead, he seems to imply that spanking can change hearts in some mystical way that other forms of discipline cannot. He cites numerous Bible passages that refer to "the rod" in childrearing, and concludes that this means that spanking is an act of obedience and faith. If we are to take the passages on "the rod" so literally, then it would seem that it would also be disobedient to use the hand to spank rather than a rod. Although biblical precepts are true and transcend cultural changes, I believe that the Bible is simply telling us to discipline our children effectively. In primitive societies this inevitably meant physical punishment. But in biblical times conflicts between nations also inevitably meant war. Does this mean that God wants nations to fight rather than to attempt other forms of conflict resolution? Physical force in childrearing and in foreign affairs was commonplace in biblical times. Now, on the other hand, our culture has changed, and spanking may no longer be the necessary evil that it once was. We can still obey God by praying for our children, loving them, and disciplining them by letting the punishment fit the crime, just as God (and the world) disciplines us.
Rating:
Summary: This book is truly annointed
Review: Wow, this book was awesome. Out of all the children's hand books I've read this was definitely the best and most convicting. So often as parents we deal with our children on every level: emotional, physical, but some how we forget about the most important level SPIRITUAL. It is always my desire to lead my children to the Lord but somehow I forget that area and jump straight to punishment for bad behavior. This book is an answer to prayer on how to lead my child to the Lord in every aspect of our family life. Here are some excerpts I found to be the essence of what the message is in this book. "Sadly, many parents have not thought through methodology. They just get mad and yell. When they have "had it up there," they threaten, holler, hit there kids and grow increasingly frustrated."- page 62
"Biblical discipline addresses behavior through addressing the heart. Remember, the heart determines behavior."... "If you only try to change behavior you are missing the real issue-the heart" -page 68
I consider myself to be doing a great job at raising my children to not conform to world and in the way of the Lord, but after I read this book I was guilty of doing so many things wrong that I was glad I read this book now while my children are still toddlers. This book doesn't claim to have all the answers but it causes you to look into your own heart thereby affecting your reactions in dealing with your child's heart. Happy reading!!
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