Friday, April 18, 2008

Best Parenting Book Ever

I LOVE this book! The basic premise is that by keeping your children near you throughout the day, you can take every opportunity to train them in godliness. We can't expect our children to be well-behaved if we send them off to watch television or to play alone in their playroom while we do something "more important". (Hint: There's nothing more important.) At first glance, tomato-staking seemed like too much work. But the changes it produces!! Oh my!

Tomato-staking has worked wonders at our house. Here's the changes we've noticed:
  • we enjoy each other far more than we irritate each other!
  • the volume in the house went way down
  • when selfishness rears it's ugly head, I am able to quickly nip it in the bud before feelings are hurt
  • when pouting, whining, or crying starts, I am able to quickly and effectively teach my kids how to control their emotions (if only more adults knew how to do this!)
  • my kids LOVE helping me out with daily chores (laundry, cooking, tidying) because we are doing it together
  • more teaching and more learning take place in a day than I ever thought possible
Consistency is the secret to any good parenting technique.
Serious character flaws and bad behavioral habits, once established, are very hard to change, just like the neglected branches of a tomato plant. Catching problems now and then won't begin to make a dent in the problem. And just like th sprawling, unattended, unstaked tomato plant, your child's heart will become firmly fixed in the position it has been growing in for all the many hours in between your sporadic corrections and over the years when you've allowed outside influences and peer pressure to do your staking job for you.

~Raising Godly Tomatoes



6 comments:

The Herd said...

Thanks for recommending...I will add it to my to read mental list!!

The Mama Behind the Story said...

Ah! Another book for me to buy. Ginger, your site is sooo gonna get me in trouble. LOL

Rachel Marie said...

That sounds great- and a little overwhelming! I've heard of this book from 3 different people and I'm thinking I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Someone JUST recommended this book to me on my blog after I wrote a post about tomato-staking. Now, I REALLY have to read it. It is the second time this book has come up this week.

Ginger, I haven't introduced myself, but I am a fellow Liberian adoptive parent. Our 2 children came home this past Dec. from AoH. We also have 5 bio. kids. I am also a friend of Jenny (Jennysupdates)--my husband met her when we was in Liberia doing medical missions in 2005. I have been reading your blog for quite some time, and really enjoy it. I agree wholeheartedly with your parenting style, homeschooling, modesty, and I, too, LOVE my crockpot and use it everyday!

Thanks!

Love in Christ, Laura

L Harris said...

I need to read and put into practice this book, again. I feel a little out of control right now.

Ginger said...

LH, I know what you mean. I have started over- tomato-staking ALL the kids the past few weeks. It has been very productive, but it isn't easy!