Loving Obedience: Child Training Techniques that Work

by William J. Richardson

While there are classes for those few hours spent giving birth, where does one find instruction for the years of parenting to follow that trip home from the hospital? How can a parent really meet their child's needs? Bill Richardson seeks to answer these - and other - questions in the most practical of ways. Loving Obedience is a systematic, practical parent training manual. Be intentional in learning how to parent. You just might be surprised to see how quickly it makes a difference in the life of your own child.

Genres: Parenting

168 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Ph.D.

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book with a big punch. The first half deals with meeting your children's needs; the second with teaching a child to meet his own needs. I appreciate how Dr. Richardson begins with a focus on positive training--telling your children how much you like them, pointing out good character, making time for fun, etc.--all to meet the need of your children to know that they are loved. The second half focuses on changing behavior, that is, stopping bad behavior and starting good behavior. Immensely practical, this section distinguishes between negative consequences, which only have the power of stopping bad behavior, and positive reinforcement, which teaches new behavior, all of it done in manageable increments. For parents, Christian or not, who are at a loss, this book is a good start. Dr. Richardson is a man of Christian faith and is sensitive to Christian parents' concerns to discipline their children within a biblical understanding.

One thought I had reading this book was that it is limited in scope. It does not talk much about the power to influence behavior through modeling. For instance, our children have learned to say "please" and "thank-you" not primarily through positive reinforcement but simply by us modeling it. The book also does not talk about attachment theory, which has had a powerful influence on the way my wife and I parent. So I think there is a lot more research to consider when raising children. But again, this book is a great place to start.

A second thought I had was that I am not sure I am on board with Dr. Richardson's take on corporal punishment. I REALLY appreciate how painfully careful he is about just when and how parents should apply corporal punishment (only when the child is in danger or is openly defiant, and only when he is between verbal age and pre-teenage years), but I am just not sure that it is necessary to take the Proverbs literally when it mentions the rod within the context of discipline.

Overall, a very practical book and a good starting place, especially (but not exclusively) for Christians, but this book should not serve as a stopping place for learning how to parent.

[Anna Burch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The techniques written about in this book are simple, effective, and for the most part, great ways to parent. However, I feel like there are some points made in this book that are very nuanced and need more elaboration than the short length of the book allows. This book is a good starting point for parents to use as a conversation starter to discuss how they would like to discipline their child, but probably not a one size fits all. Overall a good tool, but a little outdated.

[Sarah Ryburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

a quick, easy read and full of small-bite, practical info (small bites chew easier:) great parenting ideas, but several tips i'm working to apply personally in adult relationships and in work with clients. good stuff.

[Leanna Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished a mentor's copy of the original printing of this book under a different title. So glad to see that the material is in fact still in print! Good book with little bites of content and real help/examples.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kurtz Cockley recommended this at MOPS during his sibling rivalry talk.