This nonfiction parenting book takes the “strong-willed child” theory and approaches it from a different direction, one of spirituality.
Historically speaking, the tribe of Ephraim was a warrior tribe, firm in their convictions but a little but unruly. The authors of this book have chosen to compare today’s “out of control” child to the Ephraimites, drawing the conclusion that as those warriors of old learned to harness themselves to be righteous spiritual leaders, so can these children learn to magnify their own strengths and to temper their impulses to become truly incredible people.
I read this book with a considerable amount of interest because I have four of these “strong-willed” children. Just as the book points out, I have noticed that their wildness is blended with intelligence and a great sense of humor. The Ephraim’s child has many wonderful, endearing qualities, and as we focus on the positives and learn to deal with the “flipping out” that also takes place, we can learn to edify our children as they progress through childhood.
Included in the pages are tips for how to deal with the child who hates change and will scream for an hour if you serve something different for dinner than you had originally planned. The authors give suggestions for how to calm your child down before bedtime and how to avoid meltdowns in the store and at family gatherings. Over and over again, the point is made that these are wonderful, loving children, and that we should focus on their adorable traits instead of on their less-than-loveable temper tantrums.
I did wish that I could invite the authors into my home to give me one-on-one advice on my own little warring tribe, but reading the book was pretty close.
This book is primarily written for LDS families and contains many quotes from LDS authorities as well as from LDS scripture, but the principles used are applicable to families of any religious leaning and are not limited to merely one denomination.
So if you’ve got an energetic fireball of fun running around your house and you’re at your wits end on how to temper his temper, you just may find this book extremely helpful.
(This book was published in 2004 by Horizon.)
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