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Summary: "How to Train a Child to Live in Constant Fear of Parents"
Review: It makes me feel ill to have to give this book any sort of rating. It should never be sold to the public. This book was given to me by a good friend, who said, "I know a couple and they have the most well-behaved children - this is what they used to get them that way!" I read it, and then I threw it in the trash. Then I pulled it out and ripped it up, for fear that someone might find it at the dump and actually read it! I am a strong believer, and believe our actions and decisions should be based on scripture. This book takes horrendous liberties with God's word. There are passages used to justify "training" your child, that were never written with ANY intent of parental instruction. Children are compared to animals, in the sense that they should be trained in similar ways. I completely disagree. As a parent of two birth children (who receive CONSTANT compliments on their good behavior), we are proof that you can use a discipline approach (not punishment) to guide and direct your children. My children test us in the same ways all children push their boundaries. However, we discipline in a way that teaches them to want to obey ... not instilling a fear of getting caught. This book does the latter. Unfortunately, the advice in this book is truly abuse. If I were one of their children, I would certainly obey! If not, I would be beaten repeatedly. Abused wives are also very obedient to their husbands, explaining why many of them will stay in the relationship for years. They have an all-consuming fear. That is not the type of fear that God wants us to have with Him. This book is not based soundly on scripture. It is based on a very loose and frightening interpretation of scripture, which has been twisted beyond it's intent and meaning. It encourages you to look for bad choices that your children MIGHT make one day, and then "tempt" them to disobey, while you stand over them, beating them into submission (the youngest never had the urge to jump into the water out back ... so they KICKED the child in and let them clammer around for just a minute, fighting to breath and stay above water ... "teaching them the lesson that you should not jump in the water"). Child Protective Services could remove these children just from information given in this book! Stay away. Stay far, far away from this book! Continue to read scripture, and pull advice from other areas. We all want children who behave. That's why people are drawn to this thing. Look deeper. Do you want your children to WANT to please God and WANT to do what is right? Or when they come to a cross-roads, do you want to think, "Man, I'll really get a beating if I make the wrong choice here."? Many times I tell people to read everything, and pull bits and pieces of what will "work for them." Well, this is one book that I just can't add to that pile. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK AND HELP TO SUPPORT THESE PEOPLE FINANCIALLY!
Rating: 
Summary: Training not punishment
Review: This straightforward and compassionate book clears up the common misunderstanding regards the difference between training a child and punishing a child. The focus should always be loving training; and this book gives very practical and workable ways to achieve that.
Its principles work. We have found that to be true with our own 3 children. They are immensely happier because of it.
Buy it, read it, and do it!
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!!!!
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read. I have successfully applied these techniques and now have four happy, loving, thoughtful, well-adjusted kids. I often come across parents who want their kids to hang around mine - hoping the influence of my kids will help 'fix' theirs. I strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is an excellent book! At least read it and try it, before you decide anything about it. Parents who use the training techniques get to enjoy their children. Really. The children I know who have been raised by these parents are happy, well-rounded and full of life--not frustrated, like so many of the children I see who are desperate for someone, anyone, to set loving boundries for them.
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Summary: If only every parent followed this book . . .
Review: What a wonderful book. If every parent followed this book's guidelines as well as the Bible, the world would be in a much better place. This book has immensely helped me with rearing my 4 year old "strong willed" little boy. BRAVO!
Rating:
Summary: No stars is more like it
Review: Children are not animals to be trained! A baby is NEVER to be spanked or hit. For gawd's sake, they aren't even old enough to formulate need, let alone be forced into behavior. I believe in spanking and do it when it's required, but I have some issues with this kind of thing. Pull their hair? A BABY?? Coming from an abused child I can tell you, THIS IS ABUSE! I can't believe anyone would be so ignorant to take anything from this book and if your children grow up to hate you, well, you deserve it. A spanking is a delicate situation. You should NEVER spank your child without behavior so bad that it warrants an extreme measure. What they are telling you to do is nothing more than lazy parenting and killing individualism. I would NOT reccommend anyone waste the money on this unless you want to cry or get off on child abuse.
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Summary: Common since Biblical parenting guide
Review: This is a very compact, practical guide for Christian parenting. The only reason someone would not like it is if they were against corporal punishment. Michael and Debi Pearl have "raised five children with none of them ever rebelling against our authority." (p.31) How many parents can say that? Has some interesting stories in it as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Like with all things you need to understand the context..
Review: This seems very extreme to some folks but you need to realize that when taken into context that this would be appropriate in the Amish culture. There are some really good things in this book, thus you need to use the shopping cart method of reading. Just like when you go shopping you don't put everything in your cart...you only take what you can use, need, or want. Some of the stories seem totally fantasy (obedience the first time from a 5yr old? Yeah, right!) But if that is the kind of results that can occur then I believe there is some validity in what is said. The focus is on TRAINING your child NOT Disicplining. My biggest complaint is that I felt the book was poorly organized and thus it made it hard for me to move through it systematically and leave with what I needed.
I didn't feel like I had a starting point or true guidelines on what I needed to work on, and what results I needed to look for.
I had to go back a second time and take notes and then reorganize it so I could better understand the methodologies presented. Overall...I'm glad I read it. I would have rated it higher if it was better organized and not so burdensome to get through.
Rating:
Summary: A How-To Book on Abusing Children
Review: Our babysitter used this book as a rationale to beat our infant son. The babysitter is now in jail on felony child abuse charges for following the guidelines set forth in this book. Violence and physical force are not God's way to raise our precious children.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money.
Review: I have spent the last 5 yrs trying to repair the damage done to my children by following the Pearls' advice in their books and newsletters. The Pearls have a lot of wisdom to offer, but they go too far in the area of corporal punishment. The Pearls are not God, though some Christian parents seem to believe they are. I know they say they did not experience rebellion from their children, but I have seen many families who did (even after home schooling and following the Pearls' methods). There are much gentler ways to raise Godly children, please steer clear of the Pearls. I have a friend who is a mother of 10, some of her children are now adults. She never spanked her children (though she DID discipline), and she has never had a problem with teenagers rebelling. She has wonderful children, and they have stayed true to their Christian upbringing. You do not have to use corporal punishment if you are a Christian, you just have to learn other ways of effective discipline. Instead of the Pearls, try "Parenting With Grace", "Biblical Parenting" and "Loving Without Spoiling". Look for books on gentle discipline for Christians instead of corporal punishment. Children are blessings and deserve to be treated as such. I realize the controversy surrounding "Spare the Rod...spoil the child". I still discipline my children and expect certain behaviors. They are far from spoiled. My own experience is that my 4 children are much better behaved since I stopped spanking and following methods like the Pearls'. I am a better parent, more emotionally connected to my children, and much more patient. I urge you to think for yourself rather than following others who claim to know "God's Way." Something to think about: If it is not Okay for a husband to hit his wife, why is it okay to hit a child? If you can work out problems with others without resorting to violence, don't you think you owe it to your children to do the same with them?
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