Creative Correction: Extraordinary Ideas for Everyday Discipline

by Lisa Whelchel, Stormie Omartian (Foreword)

Drawing from her own family's experiences and from interaction with other parents, Lisa Whelchel offers creative solutions for parents who are out of ideas and desperate for new, proven approaches to discipline. In addition to advice on topics such as sibling conflict and lying, Whelchel offers a biblical perspective and down-to-earth encouragement to parents who are feeling overwhelmed. A handy reference guide that provides ideas for specific situations rounds out this resource that will be a blessing to parents and their children. Now in softcover.

Genres: Parenting, Christian, Nonfiction, Self Help, Christian Living, Christianity, Childrens

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Lisa Diane Whelchel is an American actress, singer, songwriter, author, and life coach. She is known for her appearances as a Mouseketeer on The New Mickey Mouse Club and her nine-year role as the preppy and wealthy Blair Warner on The Facts of Life. In 1984, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance for her contemporary Christian album All Because of You. In 2012, Whelchel participated as a contestant on the CBS competitive reality series Survivor: Philippines and tied for second place. She was also voted fan favorite and was awarded $100,000.

Reviews

[Penelope Fisher · Rating 1 out of 5]

This woman is vile and this book is full of creative ways to abuse children -- making them eat hot sauce or terrible tasting food, telling them if they won't hold your hand crossing the street then you'll hold them by the hair, making them wear boxing gloves all day, spraying water in their faces, not allowing them to go to the bathroom, telling them to lie to their doctors so CPS isn't (rightly) called on you for child abuse.... Has advice like how to find a private place in public to hit your kids so nobody sees. The only thing more heartbreaking than this book is how many people gave it high ranks.

Sample quotes--

p.135 "The hearts of our children are `filled with schemes to do wrong'" "Next time they act up in public, shock them by leaving your half-full shopping cart and taking them directly to the car for correction."

p.138 "As we walk along together shopping, I will suddenly give them silly commands that they must obey without arguing, such as `Walk backward,' or `Stop and touch your toes,' or `Give me a kiss.' Occasionally I'll throw in a real command, like `Don't touch that,' or `No, you may not have an Icee.' My favorite curve, however, is to say no to some reasonable request, like `May I go to the bathroom?'"

p.265 Sample prayer for a child "Dear God, Thank you that my parents love me and that because they love me, they correct me when I sin. Thank you that the spankings drive out the foolishness in my heart."

[Becki · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister-in-law actually recommended this book to me when we were discussing parenting. \nThe copy I read was from the library. However, it is on my �to buy� list. While I got some ideas just through reading it, I would love to have it on the shelf to pull out and look up specific behaviors and corresponding consequences. Or even corresponding Scriptures. Lisa Whelchel does a great job of have Scriptures with most of her corrections (or rewards). And as a parent trying to raise her kiddos to love God and follow Him, I think that is important.\nJeff read it too. Our biggest take-away that we�ve implement so far is the �chore jar.� You know, sometimes there isn�t a consequence that fits the crime. Or there are ongoing infractions of the same rule. That�s when they visit the chore jar to pick a chore to do. These are the chores are bigger than their weekly chores. They are the things that need to be done but we never get around to doing (i.e. cleaning all the baseboard in the house, weeding/winterizing the flower beds). So the girls get to do them. \nThere is an added benefit to the chore jar. Our girls are both saving up money toward a goal. So we�ve assigned dollar values to each of the chore jar chores. Of course, if they are doing an extra chore as a discipline, they don�t get paid. however, if one of them has some extra time and wants to do an extra chore for extra money, we don�t have to think of one on the spot. They just pull from the jar.\nI think this book would be a worthwhile resource for any parent � but especially for those trying to parent from a Godly worldview.\nFascinating Fact: Lisa Whelchel was Blaire on the T.V. show Facts of Life.

[Abigail Westbrook · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t expect this book to be so cringy. I think a large part of it is that it was written 23 years ago and a lot of the terminology and mindsets towards parenting have shifted, even in Christian circles. She did have a few ideas that I think may be worth trying, and I do agree with her on some points. But it seemed very heavy on bribing and moralizing, emphasizing managing outward behavior more than looking at how to address deeper heart issues. Some of the things she suggests seem very manipulative and would be confusing for kids, in my opinion. Not a book I plan to give space on my shelf.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are parts of this that seem OK, but others that seem to fly in the face of others I've read. What's the point of punishing after the fact when you're in public? That seems pretty ineffective to me. There are times when I am feeling less than confident in my parenting skills, and this book seemed to make it worse somehow. Maybe if I read it in a better mood...

Took this back without finishing. Maybe I'll revisit it sometime, but it wasn't that engaging for me.

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a favorite. Nice ideas, but Jeff & I definitely did not feel like implimenting well over half the suggestions in the book.

[Trulee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh...some good ideas, but mostly boring.

[Tamara Salazar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book. Full of “us vs them” mentality Evangelical garbage parenting. She literally advocates for abusive parenting.

[Aronkai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had challenges reading this book probably because of cultural differences. Below are some quotes:

1. My purpose in writing Creative Correction is to give you hope, not a guilt complex. I’ve read a lot of self-help parenting books, and ironically, they often make me feel worse about myself as a parent. (page xii)… If you bought Creative Correction thinking you had finally found the book, please close it immediately and return it for a full refund. I’m not about to make false promises. If, on the other hand, you’ve realized that what works for one child may not necessarily work for another, and that some creativity is in order, Creative Correction Is the book for you. (page xiii)
2. God loves us and wants what’s best for us. Because He cares so deeply, He disciplines us when we need it. He loves us too much to let us continue down the wrong paths. God allows us to experience difficulties and hardship because, with his help, our problems the grab our attention and help to steer us back on course. Hebrews 12:5-6 perfectly illustrates how God balances the tension between loving us, His children, unconditionally and teaching us the consequences of sin. (page 20)
3. Teaching our children to obey us and our words is primarily to teach them to obey God and His Word… I love that! Because the rules I’m instilling are God’s, I no longer have to respond with “Because I’m the mom. That’s why!” I can recite an appropriate scripture and then calmly tell my kids, “Honey, I didn’t make up these rules, God did. And this is what He say makes life work. And because I believe Him and I love you, I’m going to enforce what He says.”
4. Children who grow up in legalistic, strict environments in which the parents never explain the purpose of discipline will often obey just as long as Mom and Dad are watching, then act up the second their parents turn their heads. On the other hand, kids who grow up in homes that lack rules and standards, where the parents are buddies rather than authority figures, often know the right thing to do but don’t have the willpower to carry it out (page 58.
5. There are many ways to focus our children’s eyes on eternity, and I’ve outlined some of those principles throughout this chapter. But as we set out to shape our kids, we must first remember that our ability as parents to instill a long term perspective in our children is directly tied to our own commitment to maintain one. Like so much of parenting, it begins with us. (page 96)
6. “You can really get your child’s attention by ordering her to do meaningless chores, such as moving the woodpile to the other side of the yard or digging a large hole and then filling it up again.” (page 160)
7. Isn’t it amazing how two children can tell entirely different stories about the same event? When this happens, I restrict them to the same room until they can come up with one version of the story. This forces them to think about the events that actually occurred, and each child is motivated to confess her “sin” in order to be released from the deliberation room.
8. As exhausting as toddlers and preschoolers can be, the simplest forms of correction usually work the best with them. So, although I’ve added a Toddler Toolbox at the end of this chapter, I want to cover what I have discovered to be the most effective tools up front: spanking, routine, choices, redirection, tone of voice, and lots of lovin’. (page 285)

[Shantelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read Creative Correction: Extraordinary Ideas for Everyday Discipline for my school reading. It was quite interesting, and also quirky and fun. There was so many ideas in there for correcting common misbehaviors of children. Several, I was really inspired by the simplicity and sensibleness of them. Others were ok, but didn’t really seem like they would be very effective… (at least on the children I’m around all day!) But there’s lots of ideas, tips, and helpful pointers, so I ended up getting a lot out of this book.

Lisa’s constant referencing to the Bible, and teaching how to instill godly principles into your children, even when they’re still quite young, was wonderful. Because truly, to understand why they must be “good”, children need to understand that God loves them, and that His rules are for their benefit.

The Toolbox after each chapter did get long sometimes; but I think they’re mostly meant to flip to when you’re at your wits’ end and don’t know how to discipline your child. –You would go to a Toolbox chapter and look under the… arguing section, or so on.

Some things I didn’t really agree with, that’s ok I guess. The end result was, I found some helpful, extraordinary ideas on discipline in specific areas. I would encourage people to read this and get what they can from it. You may just find the very creative correction that works wonders with your child.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the original book when my oldest was four, and it had some really good activities to explain the understanding and reasoning behind certain good behaviors. Some of the activities were fun, so when my middle child was four, I did the Bible Study based on this book, and we did the activities with our kids all over again. Now, that youngest child is six, we have done these activities yet a third time as a family. Only my oldest child was old enough to have remembered from before what the "punch line" was going to be, and she was good not to give it away. This book must be good - and effective - if I have chosen to do it three times with my family. This does not perfect children, but it does help them to understand what they are doing. Some of the activities are as enjoyable as family games, and take about as long, so that we chose to do them over the summer, so as not to interfere with homework time. We love the anger lesson with the fire (playing with fire!), and the argument lesson on dropping the ball, and even the lesson on potty talk. (Yuck!) The activities do explain the point very well. I enjoyed watching the videos, as well. They were sometimes funny and sometimes enlightening on a tough subject.

I would also suggest Joy Berry's "Help Me Be Good" book series for children as helping to explain why we should have good behavior, and the negative, natural consequences of bad behavior.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I was curious about any practical advice I could glean in correcting, disciplining, redirecting my kids in testy times. But I personally did not get much from this having previously (and continue to do so) read books with a much more scientific basis and from a psychological standpoint. (I sound like such a high-minded, intellectual jerk here, but that's NOT my intention!)

I've really enjoyed books like: Peaceful Parent Happy Parent by Laura Markham, How Toddlers Thrive by Tovah P Klein, and The Whole Brained Child by Daniel Siegel. We've incorporated those strategies in our parenting and have seen much better results than what we've tried that this book suggested.

Of course I wouldn't say that the entire book was unhelpful. I can always find something positive! But because it isn't written by someone of authority whom I trust and because it doesn't have practices included that I agree with or have seen long-term positive results, I wouldn't recommend the book. (It's written by Blair from the tv show, FACTS OF LIFE) No offense to anyone loving it or the author. This is just my personal opinionated review.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when my oldest was four, and it had some really good activities to explain the understanding and reasoning behind certain good behaviors. Some of the activities were fun, so when my middle child was four, I did the Bible Study based on this book, and we did the activities all over again. Now, that youngest child is six, we have done these activities yet a third time as a family. Only my oldest child was old enough to have remembered from before what the "punch line" was going to be, and she was good not to give it away. This must be good - and effective - if I have chosen to do it three times with my family. This does not perfect children, but it does help them to understand what they are doing. Some of the activities are as enjoyable as family games, and take about as long, so that we chose to do them over the summer, so as not to interfere with homework time.

I would also suggest Joy Berry's "Help Me Be Good" book series for children as helping to explain why we should have good behavior, and the negative, natural consequences of bad behavior.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I saw this book advertised in a recent issue of Thriving Family magazine and it caught my attention. I went into parenting thinking that I knew exactly what I was going to do when my daughter disobeyed and how I would handle it. Boy, was I surprised! All kids are different and while some respond well to common disciplines, others do not. The actions I was taking were actually provoking the problem and making them worse, not bringing us to a point of teaching and repentance. So, I am always on the watch for creative ways to teach things to children, and I think "reality discipline" can be quite effective. Lisa has a great sense of humor and this book is easy to read and a great resource for parents. As with most parenting books, I don't agree with it all, but I do recommend it and I'd like to have a copy to keep, as I borrowed the one I read.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of practical tips for readers and a wide variety of topics are addressed. Not every reader will agree with every discipline technique (called "corrections" in this book). Some of the discipline and expectations might seem strict depending on the reader's personal experience and their child's personality. Overall, I was pleased enough with the content to buy this book as a reference, especially for the scripture applications and the prayer ideas. There is a bit of similarity between this book and "Don't Make Me Count to Three" by Ginger Plowman, but I liked this book better because it contained more of Lisa's personal story of her family and many more creative practical suggestions.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Focus on the Family book provides a huge range of ideas on disciplining children of all ages. Using plenty of stories and including much personal experience, the author explains how different types of discipline can be used effectively, and concludes each chapter with a Toolbox of ideas.

I found it a useful book to review and I think it triggered some ideas and thoughts of my own. But I’m not sure how much I learned that would be of value. There were a lot things that I had tried, and a lot of the others involved money or treats, loss of TV time etc. which are not relevant to my situation. I think I could be more creative though, and certainly need to make more effort to relate behavior to the spiritual realm.

[Ashton Herrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this was a wonderful book with some great ideas for correction and rewards! The few issues I have with it are as follows: I would not recommend using the Bible as correction (I.e. making a child copy a verse as punishment), because in my experience it makes people not like the Bible or to think of it as a corrective measure only. Beyond that, a few of the corrective measures seemed a little harsh to me personally (I.e., putting a drop of hot sauce on their tongue to correct harsh words or attitude). I wouldn't say these corrections are morally wrong, but they're not my style. Other than that, I think the majority of the corrections in this book are great and I will use many of them!

[Candice McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hurray for Lisa for her creative mind and excellent strategies for disciplining children from 1-18! I owe a lot to her. This book is the BEST out there on parenting and correction. I promise you there is a technique in here for everything, from sibling rivalry to backtalking, screaming, temper tantrums, you name it. If you have a child who is not motivated by taking things away and have ran out of ways to teach right and wrong, you will benefit from this book. There are a lot of christian principles in here but if you are not religious just skip over the prayers and bible studying. A humurous read and a book you will continue to open again and again.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/1/11--time to read this book again! I need some new parenting tips--been in a rut lately. 7/27/11--such a great book with fantastic ideas!

This is a fantastic parenting book. I borrowed it from the library but I'm going to have to buy my own copy--there is just too much good information in here! I love the way she uses the scriptures and prayer to teach her children--and she does it in a way that isn't "preachy" but is genuine and casual. The best parts of her book are the tool box sections that give you more detailed creative ways to correct your children and keep them on the path that leads to a happy, healthy life and ultimately back to God.

[Susan B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed how I parented. It rocked my kids' world. I recommend it to moms every chance I get.

The stories in it are funny. The ideas are crazy. But that's the point. This book gave me the freedom to bring my creativity to the table when I discipline my kids. Instead of a standard formula (say you're sorry and go sit in time out), this book recommends a whole slew of creative ideas. Now I can tailor the punishment to fit the crime, so that there are logical consequences for bad choices.

There are tons of ideas in this book. Even if not every idea seems right for your family, there are bound to be a dozen or two that will work.

My kids hid the book. Twice.

[Anne Louise Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

my parents owned this book long ago and didn’t use it. I read it at some point, and had some key takeaways:
(Note that I may not be remembering this right)
• welchel punished her son, diagnosed with adhd, for being “rowdy,” and she furthermore insisted that his adhd was actually just “allergies.” I can’t imagine insisting that a child who had a documented, diagnosed disability actually had “allergies” that made them “sin.” I have seen elsewhere that she eventually admitted he had adhd, though

• hot sauce on a kid’s tongue? How is that better than time out?

• would tell her kids “no” when they asked to go to the bathroom as a “joke” but also a “lesson”

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book definitely held true to the title. Some of the punishments ("corrections") might be a little odd or over the top for me, but it had some helpful ideas. It gave me a little bit of a guilt complex because it sounds like every discussion in their home is based on scripture. I got this book from the library, but I think it would be better to own it because a lot of the ideas included scripture references to teach or correct and there was a section with specific prayers you can pray with your child.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light on theory and heavy on practical advice, this book ranks as my favorite parenting book so far. Sure there are methods mentioned that I don't employ: soap or hot sauce in the mouth. However, having recently reread Sheparding A Child's Heart, this book was a gigantic relief. There is TONS of scripture you can use in training/discipling your kids. Also, she gives you freedom to use multiple methods to discipline within a Biblical framework - a big relief after reading Sheparding in which spanking is the ONLY way.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for people who believe in God. Yes it's a parenting book with some great tips however they are all based around the life we should lead as God's children.

I did like the book and Found it encouraging me to have more patience with my children and have my own time out. It is practical. It is useful. I think that had I been a different person I might not have gotten past the second chapter.

It's what mothers group is supposed to be; mums saying I tried this and that and see if it works for you.

[Christie Hagerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of practical tips here for creating character in children and using logical consequences to reinforce positive behaviors/discourage negative ones. I love the reference section full of topically organized ideas. I noticed in the bookstore that this book is available as a small group study, and I wish that had been around when I first read this book and my children were a little younger.

[Lynnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

WONDERFUL! So easy to read, very humorous, and so very practical. Lisa also makes sure that you aren't expecting this to be 'THE' parenting book because every child is different. All of this the book and advice and ideas are Biblically based. I think I am going to have to buy this book because I have already dog-eared many pages of the library's book. (To be fair, these same pages had been previously dog-eared!)

[Melinda Bollinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! As a mom with five kids and not having a lot of time to sit and read a book about disciplining and having to high light and refer back to the book when I need an idea on how to correct one of my kids it has a great look it up area and great ideas about how to deal with toddlers because the answer to disciplining isn't always a spanking or yelling. I still use things in the book with my almost 11 year old!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This has been my favorite book pertaining to discipline and child rearing in general. Her foundation is Christ based so her tips stem from the idea of love and mercy but also the strong need that children have for discipline. The toolbox section has so many great practical tips for all situations and ages. This will be one that I read frequently for reminders and refer back to as discipline needs change.

[Reggie Rossignol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously Awesome! This was the first bible study that I've done from my home. All of the mom's loved it. It gives great suggestions on how to teach basic lessons or principles to your children. There are recommendations for consequences and rewards. Scriptures to go along with each and there's even toward the end of the book, it starts suggestion ways to help you identify your gifts in your child. I highly recommend it to any mom. I've saved my book and I know that I will refer to it again.

[Sandra LaFlamme · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has some GREAT ideas for not only disciplining your children, but also motivating them to make right decisions. The personal antecdotes are a bit cutesy at times, but Lisa really does have a lot of creative ideas. I am constantly referring back to this book as Isaac enters each new developmental stage.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am already loving the concept of this book--so easy to use when needing some ideas quickly to handle a situation with your kids. I love having a bagful of options to try and scripture to back it up. I'll give my full review when I'm finished with it but I can already tell I'm going to like it.