As you know, one of the biggest passions of my life is being the best dad I can be to my kids. Three of my kids are older children; in fact, one is entering her teenage years. But our other three are preschool age and younger. That makes Parenting On Your Knees, by Vicki Tiede, a timely book for our family.

While I could have used Parenting On Your Knees with my older three, I will definitely be applying some of the principles with my younger three kids as we struggle our way through the preschool years. Tiede takes some of the more difficult portions of parenting and hands out principles that can help, no matter what your family may be like.

Vicki Tiede has done an excellent job of putting together a book that is quick and easy to read, and yet with a deep and meaningful impact for parents. She has written each chapter in a very brief manner, no more than two or three pages at most. That works out quite nicely, since you may only get a few minutes to read with preschool age kids in the house.

Also included with each of the thirty-three short chapters are suggested resources; one for the parent to read, and another to read to your kids. I’ve never seen such an idea in any of the parenting books I’ve read, and many of these suggestions have made their way into our plans and budget for the near future. These resources are also compiled into a couple of appendices at the back of the book, making it easy for you to find the ones that you may need the most.

That may be the most heart-warming part of Parenting On Your Knees. Many books will list a bibliography; but few will go to the extent of sharing resource ideas like Tiede has. These lists make the book worth every penny, and the excellent parenting principles and ideas are added on top of that!

Tiede has broken Parenting On Your Knees into several different categories. After a couple of chapters introducing the book, and laying out the basic premises, she dives right into short, strong chapters that pack a powerful parenting punch.

Character

The first major category addressed covers your child’s character. And rightly so. Outside of faith, this may be the single most important area to be instilled in your child. In this section, Tiede covers such topics as perseverance, wisdom, responsibility, respect for authority, and more.

Development

Next, Tiede tackles some of the difficulties your child will face in the first few years of life, such as potty training, picking up toys, routines, and speech and language. These are some of the more difficult stages of preschool parenting. Take potty training, for example. Out of our six kids, the first four had a tough time getting through this stage. Our fifth child has started this earlier than any of the rest, and has almost trained herself. Child number six is still an infant at this point. There is some great stuff in this section that is very encouraging.

Skills

From manners to meal times, and sharing to sibling rivalries, this section will help you teach your child some skills that will translate into almost every aspect of their life. This is an area that seems especially important, especially in families that homescool their children. Kids need to learn how to survive in society, and the family is the best place to learn it.

Behavior

While these topics may be related to some of the previous topics, they are different in the fact that they reach deep into your child and address issues that lie at the root of other problems. Dealing with such ideas as obedience, whining, temper tantrums and accepting limits, this section will help you to identify the root cause of many battles you’ll face.

Spiritual Growth and Salvation

Finally, this topic is addressed. Tiede has saved the most important for last; but you have to realize that every one of the previous chapters is tied to this one. My only disappointment with Parenting On Your Knees is that this section is so short. It’s only one chapter. I feel that, while Tiede ties some many of the other topics into this idea, there is a lot left unsaid about helping your child develop his or her own faith, and to grow spiritually.

But, as I mentioned, really every one of these areas will help your child to grow spiritually. Each of these topics are related to an aspect of faith development. Sharing with others, for example, will help your child to develop an attitude of placing others ahead of himself, as Paul encourages us to do in Philippians 2. And Tiede ends every chapter with an example prayer for your child, as well as a place to journal your own, along with answers to those prayers.

Parenting On Your Knees is published in a not-so-traditional way. Tiede decided to go with an organization called Pix-N-Pens. While this is an intriguing idea, and I spent a while perusing their website getting ideas for my own book, it does leave a few questions lingering, such as the need for an excellent editor. I found a few typos in the book, and wasn’t too impressed with the few graphics and text boxes scattered throughout the pages. That said, it seems to be a less expensive option for an author, and may have more benefits as well.

Parenting On Your Knees is an excellent resource for parents, whether this is your first child, or number four, five, six…. Even though it’s geared towards preschoolers, I found several principles that will translate well into the lives of my oldest daughters. Tiede has hit a home run with Parenting On Your Knees. I recommend that you pick it up and read it yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

What areas do you/did you find the hardest to address with your kids as preschoolers? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading Parenting On Your Knees, by Vicki Tiede, you can purchase a copy at Amazon.com.  It is available in both print and electronic formats.  Hopefully, it will be a great tool for you as you strive to be a more deliberate dad!

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