Wise Words for Moms is a five-page booklet by Ginger Plowman. It’s primarily a chart that is designed for addressing each of 22 offenses (i.e. lying, complaining, whining, disobedience) done by the child.   When a child does something wrong, you first identify the problem under “Child’s Behavior” column, then you look under the “Heart Probing” column for questions to ask your child. An example of lying would be “Do you know who the father of lies is? Who do you want as your Father? Do you think lying honors your Father (God) and your family?” After asking such questions, you move on to the “Reproof (”Put Off”)” section where you address the specific sin.

As an example, in the case of lying/deceit, the reproof is “Lying damages your relationship with your family and God hates a lying tongue - so you must ‘put off’ lying. Ephesians 4:25, Proverbs 6:17.” We then move on to the next column of “Encouragement (’Put On’)” where you encourage your child to put on what is acceptable to God. The example is “Truthfulness. The Lord delights in those who are truthful. Proverbs 12:22.” If you wish to look up more verses addressing this specific sin, you can reference in the “Additional Verses” column.

This booklet is especially helpful to remind me that we should work hard at employing God’s Word in our discipline, and not merely correct errant behavior but encourage God-honoring behavior and heart attitudes as well.  I heartily recommend this helpful resource.