Review of Parenting Made Practical's Taming the Lecture Bug and Getting Kids to Think

"Hey, does anyone want to listen to Taming the Lecture Bug? It's a DVD. I'm showing it during lunch." I was at homeschool co-op and wanted to hear from other homeschool moms thought of Parenting Made Practical's Tame the Lecture Bug and Getting Your Kids to Think workshop. I also read the book Taming the Lecture Bug and Getting Your Kids to Think. 

Five moms watched it with me. Our children range in age from 10 to 31. We all homeschool, love our children, and want to raise them to love and serve the Lord. 

Joey and Carla link have been in ministry for 40 years. They have served on pastoral staffs at churches and with Growing Kids, Int. I loved the style of the workshop. It was conversational and kept my attention (I can get distracted easily!). 

They got to the root of the issue. We don't necessarily struggle with drug use and sexual immorality in our children and teens, but we face attitudes and passive rebellion.

How do we respond to it? 

All of the Moms that watched the lecture (I would call it a workshop, rather than a lecture because I felt included, not lectured to.) admitted to lecturing instead of dealing with root issues. Maybe not all the time, but at least sometimes or often. We were all challenged to ask questions to deal with the root issue instead of exploding to vent our frustration. Thank you, Joey and Carla. 

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Pattie: "Can I borrow this DVD?"

Mary: "I like that they dealt with the heart, not just the bad attitude or behavior."

Molly: "I want my husband to see this! We need to learn to ask questions instead of lecture and get angry."

"I wish I could have listened to this 10 years ago."

There is a waiting list to borrow by Taming the Lecture Bug DVD and I fear I may never see it again. However, as a pastor's wife that makes me glad! I want all of us to grow stronger and deeper as parents raising children who love Jesus. 

The book Taming the Lecture Bug and Getting Your Kids to Think. was an easy read. 

In chapter one, they come right out and say it: "Your kids don't listen to your lectures. They hear, 'Blah! Blah! Blah!'"

Yikes! 

In chapter two, they talk about why kids don't want to think, how they  led you do the thinking, deciding if they agree or don't agree. That made a light bulb go off for me! 

The book goes on to give practical wisdom on responsibility (making kids take it!), the art of asking questions, and how to encourage your children to think for themselves. I loved it! It was helpful, funny, and, well, it hit the nail on the head for me as a parent. 

If you are thinking, "I'm in a rut with my children or teen. I yell and he or she doesn't listen," then you should definitely listen to the DVD or read the book. Better yet,, do both. 

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What I love about Parenting Made Practical is their honesty. They don't beat around the bush. They deal with the heart instead of the surface issues. 

​I think every parent struggles with lecturing, or even exploding with anger, and then walking away and not dealing with the issue at all. Then there is a breakdown in the relationship between parent and child. Even worse, the issue is still there!  

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Would you like to check out more reviews about the Parenting Made Practical? You can hop over to the Review Crew Blog and read more here. 

To all you parents out there: don't give up. Keep working on the relationship with your children to win their heart. Don't forget to deal with real issues, too, and call sin what it is. Parenting Made Practical may be a valuable tool in your parenting adventure. 
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Until next time: Happy Homeschooling!
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For His Glory,
Meredith Curtis​

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