Laying Down the Rails–Has it helped your family?

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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  • beccawalker2000
    Participant

    Ok, ladies.

    I have been considering buying this set for our family. Good habits are in short supply it seems these days. There are many reasons for it, but at this point, I know that I must find some way to direct my children with peace and purpose because I have been so floundering in this area lately. Again many reasons for my failings, but also many more reasons to pick up the pieces and get back to the hard work of training my children in a peaceful, biblical manner.

    Have you found that LDTR has helped to bring peace? Has it been a guide for you, as mothers, in training and guiding your children? Has it really worked???

    I have been praying since the first of the year over several areas of my own life, and I am realizing that I need to be more specific in prayer as well as more intentional in creating my own good habits.

    Is LDTR really worth the cost? Is it something that can really help me? I would love to hear more from those who are using it and seeing success, as well as from any who have found that it wasn’t what they needed. I need to be able to show my husband that this is not just another book, but something that could be a practical help for our family.

    retrofam
    Participant

    I like it, but the way I have it scheduled we don’t use it as often as I would like.  I see it as something we will use for many years to come.

    Does it help?  It doesn’t hurt, and I think studying character traits together as a family helps the kids see that we all struggle and need to consiously work on our struggles together.

    I am pleased with the resources.

    retrofam
    Participant

    The new book for adults looks good too.

    MrsB
    Participant

    I think it needs to be scheduled more than twice a week. That didn’t work for us. You can pull in other resources and expand it.

    2Corin57
    Participant

    Following. There doesn’t seem to be much input on these. I’ve asked this same question myself a couple times and didn’t really get much answer. That makes me a bit nervous to buy. By the time I spend $65, plus shipping (I can’t stand reading digital stuff) plus Canadian exchange, I’m looking at over $100 🙁 I need to hear some REALLY good reviews before I can justify that much.

    Richele Baburina
    Participant

    Hi!  I cannot address the LDTR for Children but the original LDTR handbook is considered a classic and for good reason.  I would consider it, together with the workshop dvd, as “must haves.”

    If you look in the bookstore, the original has very good reviews, even a 2008 review from Ann Voskamp.  I love CM’s original writings but there is something about having all she had to say on habit training in one spot that makes for an effective tool.

    Maybe someone that has used the LDTR for Children consistently will pop in or you may look for a review outside the forum as even non-CMers know and use LDTR.

    Best,

    Richele

    RobinP
    Participant

    I agree with Richele.  I haven’t used anything but LDTR but I love having Charlotte’s words so beautifully organized.  This book is ALWAYS checked out of my library with a waiting list.  Sorry I can’t help with the other guides.

    Wings2fly
    Participant

    We have used it some, but we have used the Millers stories more and my children seem to remember them more, which can be used to supplement LDTR4C.  Wisdom and the Millers, Prudance and the Millers, Growing with the Millers, etc. by Mildred A. Martin.  We work through one or two books each year.

    I used LDTR4C for only one term, last year, for the habit of attention.  I did not notice any marked progress in my children when we finished.  And I supplemented with stories from Character Concepts and A Child’s Book of Character Building.

    And know that character traits are more caught than taught.  If the LDTR book would help you directly, then it can help your children indirectly.  The most useful part of it for me has been about establishing regularity, which I am still working on.

    Grace
    Participant

    I have used it with my children. It has helped me to be conscious of teaching them habits. Some of the lessons are better for my children than others,but my children are young. I think it is very helpful to have to know what habits to focus on

    MrsB
    Participant

    We did the same as an above poster, used it for two terms, the first for attention. We used it fairly faithfully. I also didn’t see marked improvement, but I’m not going to blame the books. The books are good, especially for mom as a resource. But for my kids, memorizing the character definitions combined with Character First stuck in their minds better.

    I haven’t watched the DVDs but the portion on habits on the Living and Learning DVDs was awesome. I’m sure the LDTR DVDs would be incredibly helpful in implementing it.

    Jordan Smith
    Keymaster

    I haven’t watched the DVDs but the portion on habits on the Living and Learning DVDs was awesome. I’m sure the LDTR DVDs would be incredibly helpful in implementing it.

    Just a quick note that the session on habits in the Learning and Living set and the standalone Laying Down the Rails DVD are the same workshop, recorded live at the same event.

    caedmyn
    Participant

    I have tried to use it a few times (LDTR) and don’t get very far. I like it, but can’t seem to apply it. As a PP said, the Millers books work better here…easy for me to remember (and thus remind them, which I think is a key component of any character training), and easy for them to remember the stories.

    If you’re looking for something somewhat similar to LDTR for Children, take a look at the free character trait downloads from Focus on the Family Canada. They cover around 25-30 character traits and include quite a few Bible verses, stories, activities, etc for each one. We’ve used some of these a couple different years.

    HollyS
    Participant

    I don’t think there is a quick & easy route to raising children.  At least I haven’t found it yet.  😉  I found LDTR to be a good resource, but I wasn’t sure what to do with it.  I actually thought of creating my own studies on each character trait, but it seemed like so much work to find just the right Bible verses and stories.  Then a few months later LDTR for Children came out and I was thrilled that someone had done all the work for me!  We bought it soon after it came out and have worked on several traits since then.  I try to cover one trait per term, covering one or two activities per week.

    I think the main thing we’ve gained from it is more consistency in talking about habits.  My DC have learned quite a bit from our discussions, which are facilitated by the readings and activities in the books.  While it hasn’t been a miracle cure for misbehavior, I have seen them grow through the lessons.  It’s also a resource we can continue to use for years to come.

    beccawalker2000
    Participant

    Thank you to everyone who chimed in on this topic. Parenting certainly is a sanctifying process, with many bumps along the road! I will consider all the words you’ve shared. Thanks again.

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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