The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Boyack

Food to eat while reading: Back to Basics Beans and Rice

The Parenting Breakthrough: Real-Life Plan to Teach Your Kids to Work, Save Money, and Be Truly Independent by Merrilee Boyack

“Want your Children to Move out of the House Someday?”

As my children get older and are more capable of doing chores and becoming independent, I wonder if I am giving them too little responsibility-or too much. Merrilee Boyack draws on her experience of raising four boys to shed some light on the subject.

Read the synopsis here.

What I liked:

Personally, I feel that children are spoiled and pampered anymore. The author is a fan of giving children responsibilities as a part of a household. Her attitude made me laugh:

“Not only do I want lots of grandchildren, but I want to spend years watching my children raise them. I want to listen to my kids complaining about how their children won’t clean their rooms, won’t do what they’re told, and are lazy and unmotivated. I’m going to spend decades just laughing. My grandkids are going to think they have the happiest grandma on the planet.”

Boyack talks about the “Mom Martyr Syndrome”, those mothers who do everything for their children as an “act of love”. She believes that a loving mother should teach her children to work and do things for themselves.

Included in the book are great ideas about teaching children to manage finances, do chores, and take care of themselves. There is even a list by age that tells what a child can be taught to accomplish. Her list shows that a four can make his own sandwich, a twelve can make and keep his own dentist appointment and at sixteen, a child can file an insurance claim. As an added bonus, if you email the author, she will send you an email copy of the list so that you can adjust it for your own children (she really does email it-I have a copy).

What I would have changed:

Although the chapters are clearly defined, the contents of each are a bit sporadic.

This book is by no means an all-inclusive fit for every family. Keep in mind that it is one woman’s experiences with how to teach independence to children.

The verdict:

The Parenting Breakthrough is a refreshing way to add some variety to the way you currently run your household.

I gave this book 3/5 stars.

Purchase: The Parenting Breakthrough: Real-Life Plan to Teach Kids to Work, Save Money, and Be Truly Independent
Genre: self-help, nonfiction
Publisher: August 1st 2005 by Deseret Book Company
Where I got the book: Amazon, used