My Review of It's Your Kid, Not a Gerbil by Dr. Kevin Leman

Let me begin by saying that I am a huge Leman fan. I have read several of his books on marriage and parenting and have found his advice to be practical and balanced. It's Your Kid, Not a Gerbil is no exception.
When most of us picture a gerbil, we think of the furry creature running on the wheel. He runs as fast as he can, but ultimately ends up nowhere. This is the premise for Dr. Leman's book. In the busyness of our world today, not only are we as adults stressed and busy, but our kids are too. Many parents taxi their kids around from one practice to another event every day of the week, leaving little or no time for family togetherness or quality time.
Dr. Leman walks us through some of the reasons that we give for keeping our kids so busy. So many of us have the mindset that if our kids are busy, then they will stay out of trouble. Other parents feel like if their children are going to be successful in life that they need to be involved in a wide range of activities. Some of us are simply competitive and want our child to make us look good.
This book conveys the message that our kids need to have time with us as parents. They need our input into their lives. I loved the point that Dr. Leman made that there is no coach or ballet teacher or even church leader that can take the place of the influence that a parent has over their children. We need to embrace every opportunity to spend not only quality time with our children, but to give them large quantities of our time as well. Our kids need to be in close relationship with us. They need to feel safe in confiding in us; knowing that whatever they face, we will walk with them through the situation.
I especially enjoyed chapters 3 and 4, which discussed the myths that many parents believe, such as:
Quality is better than quantity
Our kids deserve the things we didn't have
Kids should be able to express themselves however they wish
A gifted child is a successful child
and
It's important to be competitive and finish first

I so appreciate the emphasis that in the long run, character is more important than accomplishments. I HIGHLY recommend this book to every parent. It is filled with nuggets of wisdom and advice from a man who truly cares about seeing successful families and well balanced children...who become well balanced adults.
I was provided with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review by the publisher via Net Galley. I was not obligated to provide a positive opinion, but I am eager to do so!