The Danger of Raising Nice Kids: Preparing Our Children to Change Their World

by Timothy Smith

Book Overview

Timothy Smith says it isn't enough to have kids who act nice and don't get into trouble. Instead, Christian kids need to be equipped to become influencers who can challenge and change their culture. He targets nine key qualities children need but often lack and shows you how to build them into your children by modeling core values and biblical practices.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830833757
• ISBN13: 9780830833757
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: IVP
• Length: 202 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.5" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

excellent and thought provoking

The Danger of Raising Nice Kids: Preparing Our Children to Change Their World This is an excellent book that will really make you think. Timothy Smith approaches what are probably some of the most dangerous pitfalls in American families today with candor and in some cases humor. If this book doesn't make you think about how your raising your children, and what your goals are for their lives, then you should probably schedule a doctor's appointment, because something is wrong. If you want a tool that will help equip you to counter our shallow, often hypocritical culture, then this is the book for you. Just some of the topics that are covered well in this book are: Teaching your children to make decisions The need sometimes to fail to learn. The difference between success and achievement (Ok, these are my words, but read the book and you will see what I'm talking about. This is not the end-all-be-all book with all the answers. That book doesn't exist, but I do have to say it's one of the better books in my library. P.S. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is I don't give any book on this topic 5 stars just out of principle - no book on this topic is perfect - however, I have no complaints about it.

Disciple vs Disipline

This book is great. I'm not quite done yet, but the first few chapters get you hooked and really give you practical advice and tools to help raise grounded, well-balanced kids who make good decissions, are motivated from within and not just externally well behaved. That's really his point and the key to his approach. It's also a great resource and provides information to anyone working with parents (ie teachers, or youth workers) Get this book or information from it however you can in the hands of parents. I learned about it from a Catholic Parent Magazine called "Take Out" published by Our Sunday Visitor.

Courageous, not merely compliant - Warriors, not wusses!

While the title may give an impression that Smith doesn't want to raise nice, polite children, nothing could be further from the truth. Smith is making the statement that nice isn't enough; we must go further and deeper with our children to prepare them to not only survive in this anti-family, post-Christian culture in which we live, but also to thrive and advance the cause of Christ in their generation! Smith encourages Christian parents to discipline, but warns that short-sighted discipline produces what he labels as "compliant" children, but he said that it rarely produces courageous ones. Smith challenges Christian parents to go the extra mile and produce warriors, not wusses, by forging in each child nine forgotten qualities - vision, authenticity, listening, empathy, compassion, discernment, boundaries, contentment, and passionate love. He spends a chapter on each of these character traits and gives practical wisdom on how to train children to embody each principle in their own lives. The book isn't earth-shattering, but it is a very good read for parents who want to raise godly young men and women but have lost focus on the eternal perspective of what that really means. For a parent of young children like myself, the book is very timely and a good reminder and challenge to shoot beyond success to greatness. Smith is honest with his own mistakes giving all parents a sense of hope and courage that they, too, can raise courageous, profound, meaningful warriors for Christ. But Smith doesn't give any misconceptions that this will be an easy task, only an important one. The foreword of the book was written by Tim Kimmel, who Smith quotes frequently in his book. Both Kimmel and Smith write with the same goal in mind - to challenge the complacent concept of parenting in the church today. The Danger of Raising Nice Kids is a good read - easy to read, practical and Biblically-based - and I would recommend it to any and every Christian parent.