Our Little Corner of the World

My friend Kendra told me how encouraging John Miller was at a retreat she attended earlier this year. So I ordered his first book and liked what I read.

“How much better things would be if we all tried to mold and shape our own thought and actions rather than those of others.” – John G. Miller

Then I learned he had a book on parenting. Now that my kids are older (one is even an adult!), I am not sure how effective it is for me to spend a lot of time reading parenting books, but then I read this quote:

“Parenting never really ends. It changes.” – John G. Miller

Parenting is something that each one of us do differently. Is there a right way? I believe when we follow God’s teaching we can make good choices, but since we are all sinners, we are not always going to make the best choices. Mr. Miller’s book gives some great ways for us to take more personal accountability in helping our kids to learn about personal accountability. One of my favorite sayings is ‘your walk talks more than your talk talks’.

“Modeling is the most powerful of all teachers.” – John G. Miller

Here are some things I just love about Parenting the QBQ Way:

1. Nice short chapters – I know that many parents are so busy that they don’t make time to sit down, let alone sit down to read. Most of the chapters in this book are 3-4 pages. Plenty short for any parent to take the time on a lunch break, while the kids are napping, just before bed. No excuses here.

2. Plenty of great quotes – each chapter starts off with quotes from some great people: Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, C. S. Lewis, and even a few Bible verses. There is always thing for us to learn from the Bible and from people who have lived before us.

3. A whole section on transforming your IQs (incorrect questions) into QBQs (question behind the question). – Haven’t you ever asked yourself, “Who made the mess in here?” And what is the usual response? I know, ‘nobody’ lives in our house sometimes too. But if we ask instead, ‘”What can I do to help my child learn good habits?”, it helps us to make sure we take the time to train our children to take some personal accountability for their actions.

4. Remembering that life is fair – a good friend of mine is always telling us that God doesn’t say ‘oops’. He has a plan for things that happen in our life, good and/or bad. But here is one quote from the book that puts this personal accountability thing into perspective:

“Life is fair…because bad things can happen to anyone. The difference is always in what we choose to do about it.”

So now I know you would like your own copy of this book! But before you run out and purchase one, I actually have 2 copies to giveaway!

Giveaway details: In the comments below, share with me your favorite parenting book. Entries will be accepted until Thursday, May 9th at 11:59pm Pacific time. Giveaway only open to residents of the United States. Winner will be randomly selected from comments on this blog post. Winner will be notified by e-mail on or after Friday, May 10th.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of Parenting the QBQ Way in exchange for my honest review of the book.