Comments on Liza's Eyeview: What Did Not Work For Me: Ezzo Parenting

I know this is an old post...I found it off of ezz...

2010-07-17T08:12:14.640-10:00

I know this is an old post...I found it off of ezzo.info. And I wanted to say thank you for speaking out, especially in a blog carnival as popular as What Works for Me Wednesday. I pray that your post has encouraged many to really research Ezzo.

My sister used the book w/great success so I was e...

2008-05-08T03:05:00.000-10:00

My sister used the book w/great success so I was eager to try it when my first came along. It was so frustrating to me b/c I was doing everything right and yet my daughter wasn't doing what she was "supposed" to do!

Well - with number 2 child I relaxed. I realized that I liked the idea of a schedule and some other basic ideas from the book but I wasn't going to be legalistic about it and things worked out ok.

But see I followed the book more closely for #1 and it was a disaster b/c you know the baby didn't know how to read so she didn't know what she needed to do :) I think it has more to do with the child's personality from day one - as to whether or not a "program" is gonna turn out like it's "supposed to".

So I say go with what works for you. A little schedule, no schedule, somewhere in between. Babies and their parents are so different you can't expect to have identical results.

I guess I will be the salmon swimming upstream on ...

2008-05-07T15:24:00.000-10:00

I guess I will be the salmon swimming upstream on this one.

First, let me say I agree wholeheartedly that the Bible should be your first resource for parenting.

Second, I don't think there is just one way or one style of parenting that works for everyone. I think we can all agree on that.

However, I have implemented most of what I have learned from Babywise series of books quite successfully. I ignored what didn't work for me/fit our lifestyle. I have to say that it has worked well for me so far.

I'm a big fan of their potty training book and my daughter was potty trained in 1 day just like the book promised.

AMEN. As if new parents need more reasons to feel ...

2008-05-07T11:22:00.000-10:00

AMEN. As if new parents need more reasons to feel guilty! I'm certainly not going to be made to feel guilty for not NOT following my instincts when my baby cries! Crazy!

Yes! I think it is so silly when one decides that ...

2008-05-07T10:14:00.000-10:00

Yes! I think it is so silly when one decides that everyones parenting problems can be resolved in one book. God created too many people for there to be only ONE way. You are so right we must seek the Lord and read his Word to find the right way for our individual kids. Thanks for posting this = )

It is so refreshing to hear someone call a spade a...

2008-05-07T09:41:00.000-10:00

It is so refreshing to hear someone call a spade a spade. Thank you. I think that as parents we can rely on the Bible and not have to filter it through the personality of a tralslator all the time. A very conservative church in my area offered Growing Kids Gods Way and it got way out of hand in that if you didn't go you were considered an overly permissive and "doormat" type of parent whose children were going to run your home one day. I have to say that I am actually quite a boundary oriented parent, but the tone of that curriulum offended me and had the "speak only when you're spoken to" type of controlling style to it. I don't see that tone anywhere in the Bible and certainly not in the way GOd deals with HIS children. I too fell in love with Shpherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp which accurately portrays our role as training children to stand before the Lord in obedience that springs up from the core of our hearts and gets to root issues in our children's hearts as well as our own.

Oops... I wrote a novel. Sorry, but I'm passionate about this stuff too- way to go!

I looked at those when my son was younger. Not my...

2008-05-07T05:47:00.000-10:00

I looked at those when my son was younger. Not my style of parenting thank you. Great tip.

We did the prep for parenting stuff with our first...

2008-05-07T03:19:00.000-10:00

We did the prep for parenting stuff with our first. We decided that instead of "Ezzo-ing" our children we would "K-last name" our children. We took bits and pieces from many different sources, compiled them all together and have turned our four beautiful, independent, loving and respectful children. And THAT works for us!

Great Advice!! Coldn't have said it better myself!...

2008-05-07T01:13:00.000-10:00

Great Advice!! Coldn't have said it better myself!!

Thank you for saying this! A girlfriend who knew ...

2008-05-06T23:49:00.000-10:00

Thank you for saying this! A girlfriend who knew I was religious gave me Baby.wise when I was pregnant. I was concerned with the content, since it went against everything I had read about establishing successful breastfeeding.

My daughter and I did just fine on a demand-feeding schedule and she started sleeping through the night at just 10 weeks. I read a study claiming that newborns being nursed and held all the time trust their parents constancy more, and are able to sleep through the night sooner.

As for my friend who gave me this book? Her son still doesn't sleep through the night and he's almost 3!

Great perspective, Liza. Always return to Scriptur...

2008-05-06T21:51:00.000-10:00

Great perspective, Liza. Always return to Scripture.

This book basically put me under an already performance-laden mountain of guilt and nearly crippled me when I tried and failed their method with our second child who was having none of their method of scheduling.

Great to get the word out before other mommies are confused and guilt-ridden by "God's Way". God's way is found in His Word, not Gary Ezzo's books.

Yes, the Bible is where we should go first! A boo...

2008-05-06T20:56:00.000-10:00

Yes, the Bible is where we should go first! A book that was helpful for us and uses scripture is Shepherding A Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp.

Your advice to read the Bible and rely on the Holy...

2008-05-06T18:39:00.000-10:00

Your advice to read the Bible and rely on the Holy Spirit is simply wonderful, Liza. Thanks. :)

That is so true! I wasn't introduced to them unti...

2008-05-06T18:37:00.000-10:00

That is so true! I wasn't introduced to them until I already had two children but I knew immediately that they didn't 'fit' with my parenting style.

Your so right Ezzo is not for everyone at all and ...

2008-05-06T18:23:00.000-10:00

Your so right Ezzo is not for everyone at all and I have a huge problem with the fact that it is said to be the only one that works. I have the same problem with NGJ ministries.

Now saying that i dont agree with everything I do use some of the Ezzo methods and NGJ methods and they have worked for me but your right they are not for everyone.

Good on you for posting this. I really detest Ezzo...

2008-05-06T18:16:00.000-10:00

Good on you for posting this. I really detest Ezzo's approach, and I particularly detest his use of the religious aspect to guilt people into parenting a certain way. I have a wonderful old book by William Sears The Ministry of Parenting Your Baby, which provides great biblical support for attachment parenting.

Glad to hear of another mommy who had a similar ex...

2008-05-06T18:11:00.000-10:00

Glad to hear of another mommy who had a similar experience! Here's a link to my post on Ezzo: http://theblehmblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/sleep-jen-is-hosting-parenting-choices.html

Amen, and amen.

2008-05-06T18:07:00.000-10:00

Amen, and amen.

Oh. My. Gosh. A (childless) friend gave me this w...

2008-05-06T18:00:00.000-10:00

Oh. My. Gosh. A (childless) friend gave me this when my son was born. I read through it promptly put it away. I knew it was wrong for me even before I tried any of it. I ended up giving it to child development specialist who had heard of the program but didn't know much about it. I agree. It was too miliatrist for me.

Not that big of a fan of the Growing Kids Gods Way...

2008-05-06T17:03:00.000-10:00

Not that big of a fan of the Growing Kids Gods Way dogma either.

As if there is only one way to raise kids and the Ezzo way got specially sanctioned as "God's Way". Whatever.