Discipline books

Whenever I have a tough day here at home with my kids, there are a few discipline books that I reach for on my book shelves. These are the books that are dog-eared, highlighted, underlined, have coffee stains, dirty fingerprints... well, you get the idea. Well-loved and well-used books, the ones that I don't like to loan out for too long, 'cause I'll miss them. Really, really miss them.So in no particular order and without further ado, these are my favorite parenting/ discipline books, in addition to the Bible.

Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel

I love this book because the author Lisa Whelchel (from Facts of Life TV fame) has so many out-of-the-box, unusual ideas to use in your parenting toolbox. For example, the author says that when your child lies, put a drop of hot sauce on their tongue. We've used this also for swearing, or saying "bad" words,  and it works! I read that discipline needs to hurt to make a difference. Usually after a minute of letting the hot sauce simmer on their tongue, we'll extend a little mercy and give them some milk to cool it down. That was just one example of the many ideas and nuggets included- it is well-used!


Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay

This book has lots of common sense ideas for teaching children responsibility. They have lots of "parenting pearls", what to do in various situations, such as table manners, lying and dishonesty, peer pressure, pet care, sibling rivalry, fighting, temper tantrums, toilet training, and more. They have lots of love-and-Logic tips, where they discuss how to lock in love, how to discipline with empathy and not anger (one of my favorites!), and reasons for control battles amongst others. There is so many wonderful ideas and tips in this book, I can't tell you all of them in one paragraph! The book is not so "Christian" in its ideas, but it fits very well with Christian concepts of love, kindness and respect. I bought their book for Love and Logic in the classroom, and I'm looking forward to reading it this summer (I hope!) I like the part about the difference between thinking words and fighting words, i.e., "You sound upset. I'll be happy to talk to you as soon as your voice is as soft as mine is." (page 61)I could keep going... but I'll go on to the next one...

Don't Make me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman

 This is a wonderful book that was recommended by a speaker at our MOPS group. We also went through this book in a Sunday School class last year, and it spurred some GREAT discussion! Ginger Plowman talks about disciplining children in a godly way. She had read "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Ted Tripp (which I have also read) and enjoyed it, but found that she needed more. So she contacted Mr. Tripp and asked if she could write a chart related to his teaching. (It can be found as "Wise Words for Moms" on Amazon.com.) She uses Bible verses to teach her children concepts such as why we don't lie, and therefore reaches their heart, not just their head. Hopefully by reaching the heart, we will experience true change and repentance in our child.



Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours by Dr. Kevin Leman

You may remember my post about the Birth Order Book, another one of my favorite books by Dr. Leman. He is also a wonderful speaker and can be found online and on Facebook. I've not seen him in person, but I've listened to tapes from a conference when he spoke, and he is witty, funny and has great ideas that work! We watched one of his DVD studies in our Sunday School about teenagers, and I really liked hearing what he had to say-- such a wise, Christian counselor! With his trademark humor, Dr/ Leman delivers again in this great book! He discusses reality discipline, which he shows you how to: get kids to do what you want them to do, foil finicky eaters, turn off temper tantrums, minimize sibling rivalries, set allowances, know when to "take the little buzzards by the beak" and put yourself back in the driver's seat as a parent! I had actually donated my copy of this book to our MOPS library at our church, and then realized I still needed it, so I bought another copy! That's how good it is! 

I found all of these books on Amazon.com, and they are my favorites! They all cost between $10-20 and they are worth every penny! Do you have any discipline books that you love? I'd love to hear what they are!