Godly Tomatoes

I found this website called Growing Godly Tomatoes. The mother (who has 10 children) who wrote the book called Growing Godly Tomatoes has put her book online for FREE. All the chapters are off to the left of the website. Just click on the chapter title links and go.

It's a book (online for free) on raising godly children, not just training outward behaviors, but reaching your child's heart. Now, like all resources, you will agree with some of her advice and disagree with parts (I know I did). Implement what you can and feel will work with your child and your situation. I have read it and have implemented many of her discipline strategies and they really work!

One of her strategies is to "tomato stake" your children while they are young and untrained. In other words, your kids who you just know will get into trouble if you leave the room or leave them unattended with other siblings. With these children, the author says to "tomato stake" them. In other words, they are WITH YOU as you are at home, teaching, mothering, doing housework, etc. They are NOT aloud to "go play" in another area of the house where you cannot see or hear them. So they are with you (in the same room) as you are training, correcting, prompting them on what God would want them to be saying/thinking/doing as you go about your day. In other words, you are watching and training your children. Now I do not "tomato stake" nearly as tightly as the author of the book recommends, but I am "loosely" tomato staking so I can prompt my children in how to act and what to say when a conflict arises, and I have seen improvements.

I also love what she says about training toddlers. I have been trying the techniques with Gabe, and WOW! He now lays still for diaper changes and actually listens (well, sometimes) when I say, "No." I have never really tried to be consistent and train a 14-month-old, but now I think differently.

I could go on, but if you are interested, just visit the website and read the online book. I liked "The Book" section to the left better than the "Other Materials" section.