Yelling

Well, it sure has been a while, hasn’t it?! Shortly after my last post here, I had to send my computer in for repairs (that was in early September!) Two and a half months later, my old computer has been deemed a lemon and I sit here typing from a new one. Yay! You just don’t realize how attached you are to this technology until you don’t have it for a while.

But now I’m back and I’m going to start writing again with a timely review of a great new ebook from Lorrie Flem of Eternal Encouragement. The book is called: Yelling: The Cause, The Casualty, The Cure. You see, I could have done a lot of yelling about this computer situation; and I did in the beginning, but with a bit of prayer and planning I was able to keep a cooler head than usual. It’s the simple strategies presented in Yelling that helped to turn this situation around for me; and allowed me to be a better example for my children…

I was hooked from her first paragraph! Yelling at our kids to get their attention is something all of us mothers deal with at some point in our season of motherhood. At least I know it’s something with which I have struggled… More. Than. Once.

Then she got me again… She admitted to being a yeller herself, and wondered if it was appropriate that she write such a book. I love honesty! I would much rather read a book from someone who’s “been there” than from someone who claims to be an expert, yet has never had to actually deal with the topic at hand. It’s so much more real that way. Don’t you think?

The first step in changing a behavior is realizing that there is something wrong with the behavior in question. Lorrie briefly and gently helps her readers to see that yelling offers no benefits, and then unfolds an eleven step plan to those of us who want to stop yelling. Of course, I can’t go into all of the steps here, because then you wouldn’t have any need to read the book, right? But what this book has to offer is helpful for all parents. I will say that she starts with the most important step of all: prayer. Yelling is not a positive character trait, and we need God’s help to overcome it. The inclusion of Scriptural references validates Lorrie’s points.

Yelling is short and to the point. Lorrie offers us doable steps and practical tips that really make it simple to put her plan into action. This is one book that you can read in an afternoon or evening, then put into practice the very next day. I appreciated that she inserted several excerpts from letters written by moms who also struggle with yelling ~ it helps to know you’re not alone when dealing with a tough issue.

I know I’ve struggled with yelling before. I have felt so guilty after yelling at my children, especially knowing that it really didn’t help the situation. This book, Yelling, gives me hope that with a few simple techniques, I can tame this beast! Heck, the tips included will help make my life, and my children’s, better in more ways than one!

* The Gabby Moms furnished the ebook, Yelling, by Lorrie Flem Eternal Encouragement Magazine in exchange for my honest review.