The next few weeks I’ll be reviewing various booklets on parenting in light of my preparation to teach overseas.
Michael Emlet. Angry Children: Understanding And Helping Your Child Regain Control. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, April 28, 2008. 24 pp.
4 out of 5
Purchase: Amazon
What help is there for a parent of an angry child? This biblical booklet addressing the parent on this issue is helpful. It is a from a minibook series published by New Growth Press which feature booklets authored by various counselors from the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF). The author Michael Emlet is a faculty member of CCEF and a family physician before becoming a biblical counselor. I appreciate with his background he is still able to write in a way that’s accessible for the general Christian reader. It was a worthwhile resource for Biblical and Pastoral Counselors to give parents who are are parenting an angry child.
There are some things I really enjoyed about the book and even with the first paragraph Emlet states that there is a difference between a strong willed child and an angry child; this distinction is important. I love how the booklet drives readers to find the heart of the manner with where the anger of our child comes from. With this topic the author throughout the work stresses taking the log out of one’s own eye and the need to speak and respond in a way that does not provoke anger and also to not be hypocritical ourselves. There’s a lot of great diagnostic questions throughout this booklet.
Under “Practical Strategies for Change” there were times I had concerns of whether the author’s advice might allow the child to get away with anger not being dealt with. But as I read it again I thought there is an importance to see that while considering a child’s heart helps us have a deeper understanding of a child’s anger problem (which we would want) still understanding the situational factor of a child’s anger helps us get a wider understanding of a child’s anger. Understanding the situational context of a child’s outburst also help with coming up with strategies together with the child’s cooperation to creatively have strategies that can avoid a crisis moment of anger. The example of a child’s tantrum 30 minutes before dinner was a good one with talking with the child, identifying the cause of the child’s tantrum and coming up with solutions that doesn’t require compromises of principles.
Once again this booklet is a worthwhile resource for Biblical and Pastoral Counselors to give parents who are parenting an angry child.
The Domain for Truth 
This is such an important issue for parents. Thanks for the great resource.
Shalom!
Thanks for reading this, commenting and sharing this post on social media
Always my pleasure. A great resource for sure.
Good reminder when dealing with another person’s anger that we need to take “the log out of one’s own eye and the need to speak and respond in a way that does not provoke anger and also to not be hypocritical ourselves.”
Amen. Thanks Frank for reading this review brother, appreciate it
Some of this has to do with the breakdown of the family and the decline of parental discipline and control over the course of the last couple of generations. I see today’s young children throwing temper tantrums in public…was unheard of when I was a child.
Yeah I think the breakdown of family and even the church whacky view of family, parenting and marriage has contributed to this crisis. I’m excited to work on preparing for Teaching a series on parenting overseas, as I do the work I also see how relevant this is in the USA. How is your work today??
Lord bless your teaching prep!
RE: work
Thanks! Yesterday was crazy busy like all Fridays, but so far it looks like a lower-than-average workload this weekend.
Hope you have a good prep day.
Well said.
Thanks Bonnie! Hope you are in cool weather this time of the year with Labor Day weekend!!!
To you also. It is bit cooler.
This is a convicting topic that from time to time I can feel ashamed about, I’m glad such a resource exists even if its a booklet
Good or bad parenting seems to be the root cause of where society is going. Fortunately for believers we have the Spirit to help us and the Word
Parents at my church need to read this
Actually many parents all over can be helped with this resource
The author also wrote a book on Ashberger Syndrome
24 pages? Nice that it is available as electronic copy to purchase right away