[J3K]

What Tripp and Pearl and Dobson fail to see is that raising your kids doesn't have to be an "us vs them" event. So although Tripp may have changed his tune a bit about spanking and that leading to salvation...he still desires for the parent to control the child. And not in healthy way , but in an adversarial manner. Parenting doesn't have to mean using "I'm the boss" arguments. As long as Tripp is still using the "us vs them" paradigm in his teachings , it's not worth it imo , to dig through to get to the "good stuff".

Here's the thing that rubs me... we are not in control of our child's salvation. That's on THEIR shoulders. My job is to show them a loving , kind , God that wants a real relationship with them. Past that , it's on THEIR terms. Not mine. No amount of applied parenting techniques takes away from the bare fact that we are only responsible for our own salvation. I can't find anywhere in the Bible where it says we are responsible for any one else's salvation , including our children. The verse so commonly used "Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right"... the author is speaking to THE CHILDREN. Not the parents. That's for CHILDREN to read , to decide , to obey. I think it was ArmsOfLove (Crystal) that said "Children choose to obey us when they are obeying God." To swipe it around (they'll learn to obey God by obeying us) is putting the cart before the horse. Remember that verse isn't directed toward the parents. It's directed to the kids. My job is to show my kids that verse , and all the others surrounding it. Past that , that's their onus , not mine. Their salvation is in THEIR hands , not mine. Yes , that is a scary thought , but it's true. I can only help them so far , it's their road to walk.

What I want my children to learn about God through me...he's gracious , he's kind , he's merciful , and he wants to know them personally. I just don't see how that is best done when I've created an environment like Tripp wants (as SACH shows)...where the parents and the kids are against each other. That the kids are always manipulative or out to prove something and us parents must break that out of them.

I also get sick at the "nine month old child manipulating during a diaper change by wiggling" concept. Children don't have the mental capacity to manipulate until they are MUCH older. It just perpetuates the whole "us vs them" mindset. That's where I think the true danger lies in the Pearl/Tripp/Dobson teachings.