Product Description

Break the Cycle of "Nice" Parents Raising "Nice"--but Weak--Kids Today's children are more worried and fearful than children of previous generations, and well-intended parents are raising some of the culture's wimpiest kids. Overprotective mothers and fathers teach their kids to live passively; kids, in turn, become less and less able to make decisions, to strengthen their minds, and to cultivate courage--upon which, wrote C.S. Lewis, all other virtues depend.

Paul Coughlin, father of three school-age children, longtime youth soccer coach, calls parents to bring up sons and daughters who will live out the whole spectrum of the abundant life Jesus came to give us. These children will not only know right from wrong, they will also embrace the integrity and courage to do what's right.

Insightful and practical, No More Jellyfish, Chickens, or Wimps will challenge you to spark a change for good in your children.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #547800 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780764205804
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Back Cover
Endorsements "Our children are moving rapidly moving from dependence to independence. Our job is to raise responsible adults who have courage and character. Paul Coughlin's wonderful book will equip you for this amazing journey of parenting. It's a life-changing book." --Jim Burns, Ph.D., President, HomeWord Author of Creating an Intimate Marriage and Confident Parenting "This is a powerful book that finally dispels the myth that defending oneself is 'unchristian.' As believers we are duty bound to teach our children that honor, justice, courage in the face of adversity, and defending the weak are not only the right things to own and do, they are a Christian's obligation. Bravo! Paul Coughlin, for giving back to us our warrior spirit." --Brad Stine, Comedian, author, actor

About the Author
Paul Coughlin is an international speaker and hosts a radio talk show in southern Oregon. He is the author of No More Christian Nice Guy, Married But Not Engaged, and No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps. Paul has been interviewed by Newsweek, Good Morning America, Nightline, C-SPAN, The New York Times, and The LA Times, among other media. His articles have appeared in many publications, including New Man, Faithworks, Today's Christian, Today's Christian Woman, and Ministries Today. He has also been editor of a weekly newspaper and a radio station program director. Paul is a happily married father, and is a contributor and blogger for Crosswalk.com. The Coughlin family lives in Medford, Oregon. Visit Paul's website at PaulCoughlin.net.

Customer Reviews

Good, but not his best.
I bought this book the day it was released. As a recovering Christian Nice Guy, I try to glean whatever I can wherever I can. This was a pretty good book, but frankly, I liked No More Christian Nice Guy better. To tell you the truth, I may have to read this one again to understand it better. It may resonate better with me the next time around. Sure, it talked about bullies and victims, but I didn't see much raw advice on how a kid should stand up for himself should he get bullied by some other kid at school. In Coughlin's previous book, No More Christian Nice Guy, Coughlin, who's a soccer coach, gives some life-giving advice to one of his boys on his soccer team who was being picked on. Coughlin gave him some raw advice on physical self-defense should this boy be confronted by the bully again. i didn't see any examples like this in his most recent book. I wish I did see some examples like that one. Like I said earlier in this review, I'll probably have to read it again in order for it to really resonate with me. Things I saw in this book that I liked was it did encourage children, Christian in particular, to be more willful and assertive. He also wrote for kids to be more adventuresome and for parents to stop being so overprotective. I like how he wrote how parents should make it a point to raise more confident and less timid kids. Don't get me wrong on what I wrote earlier, Paul Coughlin is for self-defense, let it be emotional, verbal, or physical. I think you should also read No More Christian Nice Guy if you're going to read this one. I still think this book is a blessing not only for Christian parents but also for parents of kids with learning disabilities i.e. autism/asperger's, and various forms of LD, etc. I like how COughlin wrote about how to spot and repell adult predators. I like how he wrote about how he didn't correct one of his boys for not wanting to approach a relative who was in a foul mood. I do like how this book encourages parents to raise kids to be more assertive, which I think is a very useful skill for kids.

Excellent parenting book
I heard about this book from the Dr. Laura website (big fan!) and I'm in the middle of reading it. So far, it's proven to be a wonderful tool in parenting - it includes extensive information on bullying. I'm learning a lot of the signs and strategies about bullying - how to identify it, what to do, etc. There's also a Christian basis to a lot of what Mr. Coughlin writes about that helps ground his theories and advice.

Challenging book for parents
This book has challenged me as a parent and I'm sure it will challenge many other folks as well. Although I didn't agree completely with a few things, I must admit it was a very thought provoking book about raising children that I'd recommend you read.

Coughlin suggest that many families in the Christian community are instilling in their children to be nice instead of good. He uses several Bible references to support the fact that we shouldn't be passive in certain situations. One such example would be when a child is unable/unwilling to stand up for themselves or for others in situations where bullying is occurring.

The chapter titles are self explanatory and are as follows:
Timid Living: The Essence of the Problem, What Happened to Courage and Integrity?, Overprotective Parents, Underdeveloped Kids, Links Between Over-Parenting and Social Disaster, The Line Between Protection and Overprotection, Spotting and Propelling Adult Predators, The Dangers of a "Nice" Christian Up brining, Truth About Bullies and Victims, Our Choice: Be Part of the Agony, or Part of the Answer, The Protectors: Letting Faith Get in the Way, Where, Parents, Shall Courage Be Found?, and Traits of the Courageous.

At the end of the book there is a self-test for parents to help determine if they are being too overprotective of their children.

Positive Elements: I found this book to be a helpful balancing tool, encouraging me to raise my children to be strong and to stand up for what's right even when it's difficult and/or sometimes unpopular. There are also a few biographies and examples from folks who have needed to show courage in the face of opposition that were helpful as well