Being a parent is hard work – and being a parent who raises godly kids is even harder. We pray for our kids, we teach them to pray for themselves and others, we read the Bible with them from a young age, and we teach them to read the Bible on their own. And, while all of this is extremely valuable, we will struggle to raise godly kids if our own interactions with them are not led by God’s spirit.
Pitchin’ a Fit by Israel and Brook Wayne is a book that tackles this issue head on. Filled with practical insights and helpful suggestions, this book is a must-read for all parents who struggle in their interactions with their children. Israel and Brook’s easy to read, non-judgmental style provides the encouragement and motivation needed to begin the process of changing old habits and interacting in a more loving, calm manner within the parent-child relationship. And, when this happens, true discipleship can begin.
I was privileged to receive a free copy of this book from cross focused reviews in exchange for an honest review, and I am so glad that I read it! There was so much valuable content that I sometimes went crazy with my highlighter!
A few of my favorite quotes
Our children will provide a plethora of opportunities for us as parents to learn self control (p.70)
Uh, yeah. Every day. I thought of this just today as I discovered that the backpack my 8 year old was packing as a “survival kit” included the remaining apples from our refrigerator along with several sandwich bags he had stuffed with cereal. I could have yelled at my son, but the chapter on “yelling moms, hollering dads” was fresh in my mind, so, instead, I tried to look at it as an opportunity to learn self control!
While her children are under her care, a mother’s calling is to be there for the nurture and training of her offspring. She might include many other responsibilities and services to others in her life, but to the best of her ability, the wise mother will be available during her children’s growing up years. It is the eternal investment in her children that will stand the real test of time, more than the pursuit of acclaim in the business or service, or even ministry arenas ever could (p. 80)
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this quote! Our number one ministry is to our children and, because of that, we need to make sure that we are physically and emotionally available to them. Anger and stress makes this difficult, if not impossible.
Somehow we need to get it through our thick heads that if a child won’t listen the first time, saying it louder, and with more emphasis, will not suddenly make a difference. True, it might in the short term, but let us say this straight forwardly: you will ultimately lose their hearts (p. 94)
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to lose my children’s hearts!
And one more (what this is ultimately all about)
We fail because we stopped, somewhere along the line, abiding in the Lord Jesus. The key is to get back to walking with the Lord as quickly as possible (p. 104)
We will fail. We all fail at some point. But when we fail, we need to get back to Jesus, let Him pick us up and draw us close, and then keep right on going. Raising godly kids is hard work, but God gives us His strength each day and He will help us overcome the issues that keep us from being the kind of parent we were made to be. Pitchin a Fit by Israel and Brook Wayne is one book that God can use to help us in this area.
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I am excited about the opportunity to discuss this book in further detail in an online book club over in the Family Discipleship Facebook group. We will be studying this book together, a chapter at a time, starting in April and I would LOVE for you all to join in the discussion! Our discussion schedule is as follows:
Why don’t you get yourself a copy of the book (find one here), and join us?
You can also listen to an interview with Israel and Brook here.
Until next time . . . .
Cheri Gamble 