Book Review – Pitchin’ A Fit!: Overcoming Angry and Stressed-Out Parenting

If you are looking to get to the root cause of any anger or stress you experience in parenting or even in general, you need to read this book. Pitchin’ A Fit!: Overcoming Angry and Stressed-Out Parenting, written by Israel and Brook Wayne, is a valuable resource for parents striving to raise their children in a world filled with stress, frustration, irritability, fear, and especially anger.

Since the time my wife and I heard about this book coming out, we had been enthusiastically awaiting its release date, since we like every family to some degree, face the primary topic of the book: ANGER. We strive daily to train up our children in the Lord so that when they grow old they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). Our desire above all things is to impart to them the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word but also demonstrate His Word in everyday life so that they too one day will ask the Lord Jesus Christ into their life and heart and have a desire to serve Him faithfully. Therefore we continuously examine ourselves in areas we can improve to ensure how we are raising our children is in the will of the Lord and to demonstrate to our children how to live a Christian life, even when it comes down to our attitude and emotions.

When I first heard about the book, I actually imagined something different than what I discovered throughout the book. For some reason I pictured more of a “How To” book. What I mean by this, is that I pictured a book that Israel and Brook were going to be sharing a lot about how they “manage” their anger and prevent stress from overtaking them. Considering they have 9 children (at the time of this writing), I figured they had a lot of scenarios and “How To” advice to share with respect to “Pitchin’ Anger”. I guess what I am attempting to say is for some reason I was expecting a more methodological approach to dealing with anger, however I discovered something much different, and actually much better.

You see, there are plenty of man-made programs that teach you how to “deal” with something. There are plenty of man-made programs that help you live with something. There are even man-made programs that excuse something eliminating the call to accountability. However there is an issue with these types of programs, namely: they are “man-made” and because they are “man-made”, they will eventually fail to some degree. So if Israel and Brook had simply shared what “they” did and thought about the topic of anger, then it would simply just be their opinion and ultimately since it was from “them”, it would be bound to fail someone at some point, simply because it would be “man-made”. What I discovered throughout the pages of Pitchin’ A Fit! however was something so much better than any man-made program or method to “dealing” with anger! What I found was THE answer to living a life with your children that will truly enable anyone who desires to overcome any form of anger, stress, fear, anxiety, irritability, or frustration. In fact, THE answer that I discovered will not only help parents raising children to address their anger, but it will help anyone, in any stage of life, address their anger so that the way they think, speak, and act will be pleasing to God and those around them.

What I really like about the book is how Israel and Brook utilize God’s Word to support everything they recommend from their own experiences or experiences they share from other families. They even use God’s Word to define what anger is in the first place. The significance of this is paramount since God’s Way is truly the only way to resolve any issue in life. Israel and Brook eloquently and humbly discuss what anger is, what causes anger, misconceptions about anger, and what triggers anger. They then discuss how that anger affects others, most notably our children. They discuss the short and long term consequences of using anger in relationships. They even discuss the usage of anger in the relationship between husband/father and wife/mother and dedicate a whole chapter on Moms and Dads who yell and holler.

While continuing to discuss anger, they integrate discussion about the importance of patience, nurture, and a spirit of affirmation toward our children. With these topics in mind and referring to God’s Word on each, Israel and Brook demonstrate that a home can be a peaceful one, but only after God’s Word is applied to the heart of each parent. This ultimately requires each parent to be accountable for their attitude, their emotions, and their soul. I do agree with what the book claims in that it:

• Provides practical and biblical solutions to get to the other side of the issue
• Gives hope and freedom from the tyranny of stressed-out and angry parenting
• Offers solutions that are ideal for any family

I highly recommend every parent obtain a copy of this book. Through the pages of this book, God has certainly spoken to my heart on the topics of anger, stress, fear, frustration, irritability, patience, and affirmation in a way that I have not experienced before. I am thankful that Israel and Brook are willing to faithfully and uncompromisingly stand on the sure foundation to discuss the topics in this book: and that sure foundation is God’s Word. With God all things are possible, even overcoming angry and stressed-out parenting!

BONUS: Please checkout a great and insightful interview with Israel and Brook discussing their new book located at:

http://www.shauntabatt.com/episode-57-israel-brook-wayne-pitchin-a-fit-overcoming-angry-and-stressed-out-parenting-podcast/

I received this book for free via Cross Focused Reviews from New Leaf Press for an honest review of the book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.