Parenting the Ephraim's Child: Characteristics, Capabilities, and Challenges of Children Who Are Intensely More [Paperback]

Deborah Talmadge (Author), Jaime Theler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2004

Have you ever read a parenting book and thought:

* My child doesn’t fit this description.
* None of these techniques seem to work.
* Why is my child so high maintenance?

You may unknowingly have an Ephraim’s Child.

What is an Ephraim’s Child?

Like those of the tribe of Ephraim, an Ephraim’s Child has great determination, energy, and a headstrong will. Ephraim’s Children are also often high maintenance, emotional, controlling, and aggravating. What other sources don’t tell you is that these children are a special and covenant people. As Hyrum G. Smith declared, "‘today’ is the day of Ephraim." These are the children of the final days when strength of character will be so crucial.

This book examines the nine common characteristics with examples and real life stories to explain how each trait contributes to the challenge of raising an Ephraim’s Child. Parents can understand and work with these temperamental traits, and then see how each is actually a strength in need of refinement. The scriptures and words of modern prophets are used extensively along with secular sources of wisdom to demonstrate how these qualities can be valuable tools in the Lord’s hands. Ephraim’s Children can be valiant in building the kingdom of God because of their characteristics, not despite them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Deborah Talmadge is a native of western Colorado and is the mother of three and the grandmother of five. Deborah is proficient at the piano and studied Piano Performance and Geology at Mesa State College. She even had the opportunity to stay for a month in Italy to study under piano masters there. She now teaches piano lessons around her writing schedule and has published two fiction novels.

Deborah has served in numerous church callings including Primary Chorister, Ward Organist and Chorister, Music Chairman, Relief Society Teacher, Ward Activity Director, and eight years as a Gospel Doctrine teacher. She is currently serving as the Relief Society Nursery Leader and Sunday School teacher for ages 14-16.

Deborah is very involved in the lives of her children and grandchildren and got a first-hand look at daily life with Ephraim’s Children while caring for one Ephraim’s Child grandson while his mom was on four months of bed rest. After taking care of him all day, she would then stay in the evenings with her other daughter and her two Ephraim’s Children. Deborah enjoys early morning walks and hiking in the desert mountains and canyons of western Colorado.

Jaime Theler lives in American Fork, Utah, but grew up in Colorado. She attended Brigham Young University, where she met and married her husband Jason. She graduated from BYU with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy.

Following graduation, their first child was born, and thus began the quest to find parenting counsel that would actually work with this child. Two more children later, she finally feels like she has a general idea on what to do.

Jaime is a stay-at-home mom with the full-time job of keeping up with her extremely active kids. She fits writing around naps, bedtime, and daily crises. Jaime's first two kids are very much Ephraim’s Children, and her baby girl is showing definite tendencies of being one too. Jaime has served for years in the primary organization in three different wards and has ample experience with methods and techniques that do—and do not—work with super intense kids.

She loves to play tennis, scrapbook, read anything she can get her hands on, and home decorate whenever she has a spare minute and dime.

Product Details

• Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: Horizon Publishers & Distributors (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882907735
• ISBN-13: 978-0882907734
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ADD / ADHD... They're Ephriam's Children!, June 14, 2005

By 

3boyznagurl (Okinawa, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parenting the Ephraim's Child: Characteristics, Capabilities, and Challenges of Children Who Are Intensely More (Paperback)

3 of my children have been diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. I have felt that there was no hope except medication and struggle. At last I see them for who they are... Strong and sensitive Children of covenant who have been sent here at this time to be able to stand firm in a day of turmoil.

I Love this book!! It opened my eyes to the Strengths and gifts that have been given to my Children. What seemed to be combative, distractable and completely frustrating behavior now not only makes sense, butcan further be developed into strength of charachter and focused into positive aciton, and will become great assets in the lives of my Children.

My wild, impulsive, stubborn, noisy, Know-it-all drama King has become Energetic, spontaneous, perservering, tenderhearted social, and Sensitive.

My compulsive, distracted, slow to adapt, full of fear, antisocial, angry, bossy and argumentative boy has become an unshakable, aware, steady, cautious, reserved, passionate boy who stands by his convictions and is devloping leadership abilities.

My Introverted, disorganized, impetuous, extreme, unpredictable, overly sensitive, too hard on himself loner has become Reserved, unconventional, quick, passionate, caring, conscientious, and independant.

My Children have not changed as of yet, (I'm, just half way through the book), but my perception of them has. Though I know that there is a lot of work and struggle ahead, the suggestions given to turn these character traits into strengths are easy to understand, and easy to impliment.

Thanks to this book, I have hope that my Ephraim's Children will Stand strong in these last days as Covenant keepers who are anxiously engaged in good works and God's work.

Thank you!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, some help!, June 7, 2005

By 

Crazy Mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parenting the Ephraim's Child: Characteristics, Capabilities, and Challenges of Children Who Are Intensely More (Paperback)

Parenting the Ephraim's Child is the answer to my prayers! The book not only explains my child's baffling behavior, but offers real, effective methods to work with my child's temperament. After reading this book I see my child in a different, more positive light, and now can see the strengths of my intense child. I recommend this book to anyone who feels that their child is somehow more challenging, but don't know why. They probably have an Ephraim's Child, and this book is a MUST for parents of one of these super-intense, incredible children. I am telling everyone I know about this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Opened My Mothering Eyes, February 27, 2009

By 

Marni Hall "Marni" (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Parenting the Ephraim's Child: Characteristics, Capabilities, and Challenges of Children Who Are Intensely More (Paperback)

This is a really intriguing, eye-opening book. I've got 5 children, one that from birth has given us more opportunities to learn and practice good parenting skills (nice way to say, "He's one tough kid!"). I had read and read and read about how to "fix" him, looking for the magic formula, magic words, magic anything to help me help this kid. Newsflash, there isn't one.

But there is still good news - we can help our difficult children become great adults by recognizing their difficult traits for what they are or at least can become. Any time we label our children as difficult, we are focusing solely on the bad and not recognizing the good. "Ephraim's Child" helps parents to see the positive side of the difficult traits. For instance, stubbornness becomes perseverance. Picky becomes selective. Sensitive becomes tenderhearted. Wild becomes energetic or enthusiastic. The perspective change alone made this worthwhile reading, but Talmadge and Theler give suggestions on how to work with each of the traits as well.

The book is intended as one for parents of more difficult children, but I found it helpful to understand traits my other children display as well. They may not have the same traits as intensely as others, but the principles still apply.