Do you want your children to behave well for fear of punishment or to get a reward? Or do you want your kids to behave well because it is the right thing to do? This book is about moral development and conscience building in the raising of children. It is not religious in nature, but is a response to trends seen by parents and educators of a decline in the kinds of thinking in our youth that lead to compassion, empathy and good judgment. What we know as selfishness, meanness, greed, conceit, arrogance, egotism and lawlessness (to name a few undesirable traits) all have their roots in a lack of conscience. Conversely, what we know as integrity, character, courage, compassion, kindness, respect, decency and morality all result from a strongly developed conscience.
In ten simple steps, the Martin Method provides a tool that helps incorporate life's moral lessons into daily opportunities for discipline. It is a very logical, common sense approach geared toward the development of your child's conscience, self-discipline and an inner moral compass, one that will eventually automatically deliver to the child the right and wrong choices of behavior. The method takes only minutes to implement, and best of all, puts responsibility for his or her action directly on your child, keeps temper in check, and avoids the ineffectiveness of punishments and rewards. Always remember: Children are not good or bad, but their behavior can be right or wrong.
