cover image The 10 Commandments of Parenting: The Do's and Don'ts for Raising Great Kids

The 10 Commandments of Parenting: The Do's and Don'ts for Raising Great Kids

H. Edwin Young. Moody Publishers, $18.99 (214pp) ISBN 978-0-8024-3147-9

Megachurch pastor and author of ""The Ten Commandments of Marriage,"" Young uses the decalogue approach once again with this parenting manual, which seems directed to new parents or those with young children. The book is generously laced with Scripture (including the ""thou shalt"" and ""thou shalt not"" chapter titles), and its advice will be most appreciated by an evangelical Christian audience. His tone manages to be humble (he says it's a miracle that his own three sons turned out to be ""solid Christian husbands and parents,"" given the mistakes that he made as their father), while full of biblical certainty. Most of the commandments are predictable, the stuff of hundreds of other parenting guides: be loving but firm, discipline appropriately, spend time with your children and don't be a passive parent. But Young devotes an entire chapter to the importance of teaching children about sex, a refreshingly candid approach for an evangelical pastor. The book is also extremely easy to read, with frequent subheadings and numerous anecdotes.