Amy Chua’s little memoire on parenting, BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER, is both fascinating and controversial. I read the Time magazine article and immediately downloaded the book to the Kindle app on my iPhone. I then read the entire book in two evenings with rapt enthusiasm. The fact that it is so well written, interesting, and easy to digest means it will be widely read. Most parenting ...
The Road Less Taken
My wife asked me to write the foreword to her first book. Here's what I wrote: The Road Less Taken “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14 (NIV) This is the story of the road less taken. Are you being herded along the highway of conventional wisdom, jostled by every whim and worry? Are you marching lockstep with hordes of unhappy ...
A Birthday Letter to My Oldest
Dear Jon, Many people think that going off to college or getting married is the big leap to independence, but I think that getting a car of your own is when the transformation from child to adult really begins. In two days, you turn sixteen, and you will get your driver’s license shortly thereafter. In the years that follow, my responsibility for you will shrink, as yours for yourself grows. Many ...
In Over Our Heads
At least two or three times a week someone says to me, “How do you manage with six children? I can barely handle one!” My answer to this question has evolved over time. My initial and somewhat prideful response was, “With firm but loving discipline.” Then with a shrug of my shoulders, the answer became a sheepish “I don’t know." Finally, I’ve had to admit with a spirit of dejection, “I can’t ...
Hold Onto Your Seat!
If you get motion sickness like I do, then you’d better take some Dramamine before reading about Joseph’s roller coaster of a life story (Genesis 37-50). My hills and valleys look like speed bumps and potholes by comparison. In the beginning, Joseph is daddy’s favorite son, then his jealous siblings sell him into slavery (and I thought our kids got into fights!). Next, he works his way up to ...
What Is Your Lentil Stew?
How could anyone be that stupid? This is the first thing I think when I read the story of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew (Genesis 25:29-34). Being a meat and potatoes man myself, I find this account especially dumbfounding; but even if lentil stew were the most delicious meal imaginable, the point would still be clear: Esau had traded lifelong blessings for a ...