Review: Down to earth and SO relevant
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 4, 2012
My son turned nine years old five days ago. This very quick and easy read is going on my tablet *today* so he can read it (and I plan to have him read part one again and again!). This excellent resource is divided into three sections: first is a list of 104 specific statements about having good manners in many different situations and with different people, the second section is ways in which people have actually instilled good manners into their own boys, and the third section is rules of the home that have been used to instill those manners.In technical terms this book is a good buy because it is written in clear, easy-to-understand prose with very, very few formatting or grammatical mistakes (I think I saw one error in the whole book!). Although it is written from a fundamental Christian point of view, it does not push this view on you. It simply presents it as part of life that must be taken into consideration when implementing these ways to be more mannerly. For those of us for whom it is a part of our daily lives, this is a good reminder that *living* the Christian life is much more effective than *preaching* the Christian life. But I digress.Although Mr. Erskine specifically disclaims that his book is a book about etiquette a la Emily Post, but to me, it is about etiquette. Our homeschool co-op completed an etiquette course as an elective recently [I *think* it was Etiquette Factory but I am not completely sure], and the definition of etiquette used in this course was "actions taken to ensure a pleasant experience for everyone; making everyone around you feel comfortable, appreciated, and important." The rules in this book might as well have been designed with that specific definition in mind. Every suggestion is guided by a practical application - not "do this because I say so," or "here is a rule that you MUST always do!!" Rather, the statements are presented in a manner that says, "I care about you, and what others think of you, so to make the best impression you should ... " In fact, even though the book is written specifically for those of us blessed with boys, it would not be inappropriate to let girls read it too. After all, no girl wants a *boy* to have better behavior than her, right? :-DOn a personal note, one of the suggestions in part two really convicted me. One parent said that we must (as parents) learn to see "Cross-eyed" and not look at our children legalistically. Once we learn to see our children's behavior through the lens of The Cross, where *everything* was paid for, we can begin to correct their undesirable behavior, not because we are ourselves perfect and wish to pass on that perfection, and not because we are the parents and they are the children and therefore they must do as we say, but because we see them as the special gift from God that they are and have a genuine desire to train them so they have the best lives possible. I am planning to create a sign for my homeschool space that says "Learn to see Cross-eyed."I cannot recommend this e-book strongly enough. Even if you are not a parent, you can benefit from this book. The behavior suggestions in part one are applicable to anyone, and the rules that parents have used to instill good behavior into their boys are sometimes clever, sometimes smart, and lots of time just plain hilarious.