Customer Reviews

The Key to Your Child's Heart: Proven Steps That Will Help You Raise Motivated, Obedient, and Loving Children

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I can not recommend this book enough to all of the parents I know. After reading "The Key to your child's heart", my parenting techniques where quickly and definitely being improved and empowered. My children began to respond to me in a much more positive fashion 'cause they knew my heart was in the right place. In summary, a parents ultimate goal is to work themselves out of a job by raising self sufficient, confident and independent young adults! Thanks Mr.Smalley!

Smalley's book on parenting, "The Key to your Child's Heart" invites parents to share life together with their kids, heart to heart, at the daily, emotional and spiritual level of life. His over-indulgence in lists (84 ways, 4 basic types, 2 factors, 3 powerful ways, 19 ways, 6 characteristics) cheapens the material in this book in my opinion. But Smalley had condensed into this volume a wise perspective on parenting and dozens of practical ideas for improving your family life.

Also recommended--THE FAMILY CLOISTER: BENEDICTINE WISDOM FOR THE HOME, by David Robinson (New York: Crossroad, 2000, 192pp., trade paperback).

This is the book I turn to every time I have an issue with my kids that needs to be resolved, or even when I just need to be re-ignited with a passion for pouring my life into my kids. Besides his easy-flowing, excellent writing, the principles he teaches are unbeatable. Unlike the other reviewer who disliked the lists, I found them to actually be a helpful part of the book and I didn't skip over them as I tend to skip over lists in other books.

Yes, Gary is an advocate of spanking, which I will make no comment on here other than to say that I also believe in it. But throughout the whole book, including the parts about spanking, it is so easy to see the tender, loving parent that he was/is, as he encourages me to be as well. I was actually encouraged by the creative types of discipline that he suggested as well.

I've decided to read this book again every year as my children enter new phases of life so that I will be able to remind myself of these principles and apply them to my changing family. Thank you, Gary, for your encouraging wisdom!

Not only was this book insightful and practical, it was also very easy to read. It has helped me to understand my children better and consequently extend more love and acceptance towards them.

Life changing book for relating to children and realizing the impact of my words. How they may hear what I say! Love the illustrations he uses to show how a child's heart may close and how we can open it or continue to close it.

Its funny that fifty percent rate this five stars while fifty percent rate it one star - just like the Dobson books. Well, I am in the five star crowd. My children are 10,9, & 8. We get praised for their manners and behavior all the time. People say things like," It has been so long since I have seen such well-behaved and respectful children." We used primarily Dobson and Gary Smally books. I am very thankful for this text. The one concept alone about opening the child's spirit is SO CRITICAL. I can't imagine not knowing it and I learned it in this book. It taught to recognize the slightest sense of hurt or detachment before it became an issue. I shutter to think about not having grasped that concept years ago. Today, I can almost always tell ( like an emotional thermometer ) what is happening in my child's heart just by touching their arm or hugging them. Gary is a hero of mine.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a parent~It should be a must have!!

This was a terrific book...right on the money!!

If you believe that hitting your children is an appropriate method of disicipline then this is the book for you. If not pass on "The Key to Your Child's Heart". The author states that the "paddle" used to spank his kids was decorated by the entire family! The book is also filled with references to Jesus Christ and God, which may be a problem if you are not a religous person.

A standard guide to fundamentalist parenting: beat the heck out of your kid's hind end and then give him
a bible lecture while the sting is wearing off.
For those who insist on spankings, Dobson, Leman, and the early Sears are all at least reasonable. Smalley is on the level of Abu Grahib discipline.