Shepherding a Child's Heart

For my baby shower a friend of mine gave me the book Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. I was super excited to start reading it and then oops went into labor and ya'll know the rest. So, I was going through things in Lexi's room and there was the book, as if God said now you need to read this girl. So, today I began reading it.
You see I have one of "those kids". You know the ones. They are the kids that pitch a fit in the grocery store and scream and carry on over the smallest thing. I have the child who talk back and says mean things to get attention. Uh huh, I have one of those. We always tell her to "drop the attitude" but I don't know if she even knows consciously what she is doing. It is just a knee jerk reaction sometimes.
Okay, back to the book. So, I read the introduction and the first chapter and a few things stood out to me.

• The purpose for your authority in the lives of your children is not to hold them under your power, but to empower them to be self-controlled people living freely under the authority of God.

This really spoke to me. People in our society are not self-controlled people. They see something and they buy it- even if they are already massively in debt. The want to over eat and they do- hence 500 lb. people. So, teaching my children self control is the key right. well.....

• The parent is the child's guide.

Whoa!!! I am her guide. She learns her behaviors from watching things that I do. So in order to teach my children self-control I need to be a model of it for them. I need for them to see it in my life first.

• He shepherds the child to understand not just the "what" of the child's actions, but also the "why."

In the past we usually have disciplined our kids by what they have done. This is giving me another perspective to think of. Why are they doing those things. What is the motivation behind the actions.

Do i think that if I follow these principles we will wake up tomorrow and everything will be ok. No I don't think that but for things to change in our family, I have to be the best informed mom I can be. I need to love my kids and exhibit God's love to them through my disciplining of them. I want my kids to know God and to have a relationship with him but this goes back to the last principle. I have to show them God in my life. I have to be their guide to him. I am definitely up to the task and I pray that I can be the good example that he wants me to be.