How To Mess Up Your Child’s Life – Book Review

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How To Mess Up Your Child’s Life by Olivia and Kurt Bruner

There are a lot of books out there that try to teach you to be a ‘good’ parent, how to set your child on the right track for life. The problem is, these things are hard. Wouldn’t it be easier to be a ‘mess up’ parent and just mess up your child’s life? Well, Olivia and Kurt Bruner want to help you be the best ‘mess up’ parent you can be. Olivia and Kurt are Christian parenting experts and have based their ‘mess up’ strategies on the seven deadly sins. Want to know how to make your kid a lustful glutton? You’ve come to the right place! Just be warned, every sin has a corresponding virtue that you’ll want to avoid.

Okay, so obviously the Bruners don’t actually want to help you turn your child into a prideful sloth. Instead, the sections are written in a clearly tongue-in-cheek manner that is actually quite helpful, particularly since it addresses mistakes parents do actually make. Don’t think, though, that “How To Mess Up Your Child’s Life” does nothing but tell you – however humorously – what NOT to do. Instead, each section also has a variety of suggestions that mess up parents should ignore at all costs to make their child as sinful as possible – in other words, activities to nurture specific virtues like generosity. I liked these sections because they were actually concrete activities. Some of them would be equally useful for a youth group to do as they would be for families.

“How To Mess Up Your Child’s Life” is probably one of the more practical, entertaining parenting books you can pick up.

Buy this book from:
Powells.
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.
Amazon.

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Beth F

June 12, 2009 at 11:28 am · Reply

Thanks for the review. I like to keep lists of books that might make good gifts. I’ll definitely keep this one in mind.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Review: In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White =-.

[Reply]

Anna Elliott

June 12, 2009 at 12:33 pm · Reply

Great review! Just wanted to stop by and wish you a happy due date! It is today, right? The 12th? Hope you are feeling well and enjoying a well-earned rest before your little guy makes his debut!

Sandy

June 12, 2009 at 3:44 pm · Reply

Wow! Today is your due date? How exciting!!! With regards to this book, I’m sure these guys are entertaining and practical, but honestly, as a parent, if one person claims to know the secret to raising a well-formed child, a hundred do. And I’ve also found that theory is wonderful, but some kids just don’t respond to the well-intended advice you will get. Bottom line…trust your own instincts. Good luck girl! I’ll be thinking of you!
.-= Sandy´s last blog ..To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (audio) =-.

Diane

June 12, 2009 at 5:18 pm · Reply

Catchy title. Sounds like something every new parent (and some old ones too could benefit from).
.-= Diane´s last blog ..Library Loot – Why Do I Bother? =-.

Becky

June 13, 2009 at 1:42 am · Reply

I haven’t yet heard of this book, looks good though. I do have to agree with Sandy – a parent must trust his/her instincts when it comes to rearing children, however you can find some really great tips by reading various parenting books. For example, I have been a mom for 12 years and still feel like I have a lot to learn. I have read quite a few myself, and just finished reading Janis Gioia’s latest book titled, “The Wolf Pack Classroom Management Plan,” which puts together a great plan to teach your children life skills. I always take the advice at hand and then use my best judgment on whether or not it applies to my kids.
.-= Becky´s last blog ..beckybooks: Love taking Fridays off- Read all day Just finished reading "What Were They Thinking? The Brainless Blunders that Changed Sports History." =-.