The Intentional Parenting Plan

Don't you want to be a better parent? The Intentional Parenting Plan (TIPP) challenges parents to think and plan for their child's life. Covering eight areas of parenting, parents are asked to respond to questions that help them clarify what they want for the child. The purpose of completing the plan is for parents to be able to visualize the image that they want for the child. Through examining their thoughts about character, image, health and wellness, home life, education, finances, and the world, parents are asked to develop a written plan (included in the book) for the child. This plan will guide parents in the growth and development of the child.

Most parents spend more time planning a child's first birthday party than they do in planning for any area of the child's life, including spiritual training and education. Many of us take for granted that there will always be enough time and enough information available to us in order for us to make sound on-the-spot decisions. Many vital decisions in child-rearing are left open to chance; a chance that we will make the right decision; a chance that our child will grow up and become the person we desire that they become; a chance that others will interact in positive and meaningful ways with our child; and a chance that our child will learn to plan her/his own life.

We take these chances, not because we do not care enough to plan our child-rearing practices, but because no one has ever really challenged us to pause long enough to think about and to think through what it means to parent intentionally with a specific purpose in mind. TIPP is designed to assist parents in putting on paper deliberate and planned actions that will help them in successful child-rearing.