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Summary: A must for every young family!
Review: Do you ever wonder what you could do for those poor frustrated parrents in the grocery store that just can't seem to get their children under control? Now you have an answer! get a couple copies of this book, keep them in your car, and be loving and bold enough to give those parrents a copy. I have seen the material in this book change the lives of young families. Get it, read it, understand it, then use it. The Pearls present a wonderful solution to the very complex problems of raising our children in today's world. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Been there, done that. Still dealing with the aftermath.
Review: Three years (5 mos. old to 3 1/2 yrs.) of soaking in everything the Pearls had to say via books and newsletters resulted in the following deterioration in our family:Stage 1 - everything goes well according to the book Stage 2 - child will not obey unless the rod is in parent's hand Stage 3 - child persists in doing forbidden actions as soon as parent's back is turned Stage 4 - child is no longer deterred from wrongdoing by punishment and refuses to learn new things Stage 5 - child is violent and starts to openly hate parent Stage 6 - parent snaps, child in danger At this point, we were subjected to an investigation by child protective services because the counselor who I went to for help turned us in. This was a very, very scary process. Fortunately, we still have the children. We had to pay out the wazoo for a (different) counselor, and are still dealing with behaviour problems in our child. Don't even consider this book. Complacent, compliant children do well with it. The rest of them don't. A friend of mine who loves this book and whose children are older didn't believe me and didn't understand until her next baby got older. That child is exactly like mine, and now she understands my warning. She'd complained about one of her other children being strong willed, but now she knows better. Never, ever assume that just because a book has lots of "It worked for me!" stories that it is the end-all and be-all of advice. Of course they're not going to publish stories like mine in those books. I don't have all the answers, but I do know that the best parenting book I ever read was the Bible, and especially Luke 6:31 "And as ye would that men [your children] should do to you, do you also to them likewise."
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Summary: Very Good Advice
Review: I read this book cover to cover in one sitting and was amazed and encouraged by the techniques described in how to train your children. This type of training only works with LOVING CARE, which is how I and most parents intend to use it, but I can see how abuse could result if the wrong parents try to enforce the rules or if the right parents try to enforce the rules incorrectly. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THESE TECHNIQUES IF YOU ARE NOT FIRST IN CONTROL OF YOURSELF. I would handle a few of the situations described in the book a bit differently, but overall, it's right on target.
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Summary: Transform you family into one of peace and joy! I did!!!
Review: This book is so well written. I have put the techniques into practice and in just one week we have seen tremendous changes. Everyone at our church and all our friends are asking for copies of this book. If you are tired of yelling at your kids and not having them mind, then read this book and put it's information into practice. I can't wait to recieve my copies of No Greater Joy Volume 1 and 2. This country needs to get back to raising families as God wants them raised, we would see a huge change in our country if everyone put this into practice. God Bless all the parents who decide to stand for God and His Word and use that information to raise their children.
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Summary: If you want happy children who you spank less, read this!
Review: This is an outstanding book. Mike and Debi speak in a simple fashion, and the book lacks fancy typesetting and Madison Avenue marketing touches. But the compelling content is all that matters.
To counter the hysterical reviews you may have read about the book: the Pearls are NOT child abusers. In fact, parents who follow their advice will find they spank their children rarely, and enjoy their relationship far more. The Pearls have developed means of raising happy, obedient children by calm, loving parents. Parents shouldn't have to yell, get angry or beat their children to raise them safely. Calm, consistent love will do the trick.
Forget what you hear from pop-culture psychologists and smarmy parenting gurus. They have created a self-centered, self-indulgent and whiny generation. If you want happy, self-disciplined and successful children, read this book loaded with common sense.
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Summary: Use what you need, ignore what you don't
Review: This book is not about abuse. It does not advocate "beating" and "whipping". Using a thin strap or in my childhood days a switch, stings like the dickens, but certainly does not cause intense pain and is not abuse as some have described. Taking control in the home and presiding OVER your children is how God intended it to be. In this day of "kids rule" it is a difficult fight and I must say this book is refreshing in that it shows you how to get back your rights as a parent. Consistent discipline when fair boundaries are crossed is the only way to gain your kids respect and this book shows you the way. I started using the principles in this book when my oldest was 4 1/2. She was impossible to deal with. Within a week of reading this book things were much improved and I had my sweet little girl back. I have found over the years and three children later that if you backslide on discipline your children will test you often, just waiting for that one opportunity to get away with things. No, I don't stand by all the theories in this book. I would have little patience for toilet training my infant, or switching him for that matter, but the author's opinions and experiences are being shared here, not dictated. The book was written because people wanted to know why their children were so well behaved and HAPPY! Children are happy when they know they have boundaries and they are certain that the boundaries don't change from day to day. Once they know this, the need for discipline almost disappears!
My husband and I are constantly being asked how we happened to obtain 3 "perfect" children, commenting on how well behaved they are, how polite, etc. By being LOVING and CONSISTENT in your discipline and following the guidelines in this book, you will find you have "perfect" children hiding in there somewhere and they will be so much happier to be back!!
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Summary: Spanking babies is not good practice
Review: I should state that I am not anti-spanking. There is a time and a place for it but I think it should be the exception rather than the rule in raising up a child. There are some decent suggestions in this book but the bad far outweighs the good. In one section, it is suggested to "bait" a baby (for example, place your reading glasses in his reach to tempt/bait him) and then when he reaches for them, whack him on the hand. The author suggests doing this over and over and compares this to training a dog. As a mother of six, advocate for families of special needs children, and winner of a parenting award (excellent family in the state of South Dakota), certified teacher/early childhood ed. specialist, and author of a support book for parents of children with special needs in the state of Nebraska.... I feel that I can speak on some degree of authority. The reason why I ordered this book in the first place was because I did not believe all the negative things that I was hearing about this book could possibly be true. Sadly, most of them were not exaggerations. My husband made the comment (after I read some of the book outloud to him) that he is shocked that the authors have not been charged with abusing an infant. This book is horrible and the authors have no special training to back up their methods. They do use the Bible but I highly doubt that Christ Himself would endorse physically punishing a infant. (infant meaning less than 10 months of age)
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Summary: Read with an open mind. . . .
Review: My pastor's wife lent me her copy of this book with a warning that not all the advice given in it is good. But the good advice certainly outweighs the bad. Opinions that should be avoided are: The suggestion to pull the baby's hair when it bites while nursing. This is not Biblical but a light spank would be. Also the section about potty training. Training a 3 month old to use the toilet is unrealistic. A MOM can be trained to be in tune w/her baby's system, but the baby really has no idea what it is doing. But, I must say that most parents do put off potty training too long. There is also a piece of advise that the author gives to the parent's of a 3 year old to get him to stop messing in his diaper that is NOT GOOD. If ytou read it, you will know what I mean. They also advised taking away his sweets until he quits "dumping" in his pants. This in direct contrast to their teaching of "breaking the will". Then, in the section about schooling they teach that all education is bad unless the children are taught at home. I do not agree w/this, either. My point is, this book IS very good and valuable to me. But, there are several points that people should be aware of. Read it and go to the Bible to see if the teaching is correct. Go with your own convictions and try not to use this book as a textbook, but rather use it as you are convicted as you read.
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Summary: Worst book I've ever read
Review: This book literally made me feel sick when I read it, and it went directly into a garbage dumpster. The author's newsletter and website are just as bad. Do you believe that the best way to teach a child or an animal is through repeated intense physical pain? (Among other things, the author describes how he gives his cat HARD kicks to teach it to stay out of the house.) Think about how small an infant or child is in proportion to an adult. How would you like to be hit with a switch, rubber tubing, or a belt (the author described hitting a neighbor's 2 year old with his belt on his website) by someone who is 5 or more times your weight and size? The author of this book should not be allowed anywhere near either animals or children, and neither should any of the so-called Christians who praise the book. The verses in the old testament which are so often cited in support of hitting children are interpreted differently by different Christian leaders and scholars. And by the way, parts of the old testament also condone polygamy, stoning, and slavery. In the new testament, our savior, Jesus Christ, never instructed anyone to engage in any of these activities, or to hurt children.
Rating:
Summary: Still a dangerous book
Review: I've reviewed this book before and then reread it after reading the reviews of others. I still say this book is too dangerous in the society in which we live. There may be some parents who can use the advice in a controlled way, but I have yet to find anyone who truly feels good about what they did afterward. I also have a very hard time accepting the extremes in this book. The authors and many of the reviewers seem to think that if you don't physically discipline your child, even for the slump of a shoulder, that you are willfully creating an out-of-control child who will bring you nothing but grief. Mothers are considered weak and sentimental, perhaps "wimps" if they refuse to whip their children, even their babies. And trying to put the fear of having medicated children in parent's minds if you don't beat them is truly reprehensible. Sadly, there are children who truly need medication (ADD is REAL), and it should not be inferred that it is the fault of the parents. I agree with what the Pearl's want for our children. Who wouldn't want obedient, cheerful, productive children? But their means to that end is in the extreme. I am not saying to go to the other extreme, either. Being permissive is not the answer. I was never and still am not permissive. I have very high expectations of my children and I wish other parents would expect more of their children; but the kind of physical punishment advocated in this book is outrageous. And calling it "training" not "discipline" doesn't make it any less outrageous. We absolutely need to teach (not train) our children and we need to consistently guide them with equal, huge parts of firmness and love, not with a rod. And please do not feel you are not following the Bible's word if you disagree with this book - another scare tactic. We all interpret the Bible differently. This book tells what this author believes the Bible means as far as discipline. It's okay to disagree with the Pearl's interpretation. Maybe one good thing that may come from this horrific book is that it will get people to actually read the Bible; people who ordinarily would not. Maybe that's God's real plan.
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