How Children Raise Parents: The Art of Listening to Your Family

All I can say is, "Wow." His first sentence begins and a conscious thread is continued until the last page. This sounds vexing, but every single sentence is positively an absolute jewel. Basically, he tells you how to listen and learn from your kids so you can teach them. It's Zen meets the Horse Whisperer for parenting. Some parenting techniques stifle a close relationship between parent/child because the parent must be a leader in the home. This isn't necessarily bad. It's just how it is. However, the techniques Allendar suggests, narrows this gap, bringing you closer to your child as you learn to listen to him.

If only I could speak like this man. You will learn a lot from him. You can trust that he will help guide you in the right direction. For the average Joe the read takes a little effort, but believe me it's worth reading any of his books.

This is a powerful book in parenting. It was recommended by a good friend of mine, Dale Sadler. He is a school counselor and a youth minister. He knows about parenting and does parenting seminars for congregations. He is great. He did not disappoint in suggesting this book. Most parenting books deal with seven laws of good parenting, but true parenting is never as easy as practicing some laws or skills. It is a messy work of failing and succeeding. The author talks about how Christians can use the work of parenting to bring them closer to God. If we truly listen to our children we can have a positive impact on our kids. He highlights two major questions that all children ask: "Am I loved?" and "Can I get my own way?" The tension of these question is what makes parenting difficult. In this book you will find grace and love, and not some much seven rules for being a parent.

I have enjoyed Allender's books for years. He has the uncanny ability to take a difficult issue and make it understandable through clear writing, personal stories and scriptural references. This book shows how we can reflect the character of God into the lives of our children. Allender explains that our success as parents relate primarily to how we answer a child's two core questions: (1) Am I loved? and (2) Can I get my own way? As parents, we are to imitate God, the perfect parent, by providing both mercy and unconditional love on the one hand, and strength and discipline on the other. Read this book. It will help you lead a life with your kids that is in the middle of God's strength and mercy. Along the way, your kids may teach you a few things about yourself, as well as God!

Dr. Dan Allender's book on parenting is truly revolutionary and will change each readers perspective on who teaches the most: the parents or the children. His humorous personal stories weave into his lessons to make this one of the few parenting or "self-help" books that is harder to put down than the most griping novels. The brilliance of this book is that it redefines the parent-child relationship and shows you how to effectively handle the ups and downs of parenting. Dr. Allender's message has helped me be a better parent, and I have no doubt that I will always keep it close at hand to reread in any time of need or joy.