Intentional Parenting by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan

I've not read that many parenting books even though my child is a little over two. The few I have read, I found so ridiculous and really didn't implement many, if any, of the ideas that I read about in the other books. I've been on a search for a good, godly parenting book - not just one to tell me about the statistics of where my child might end up but one that would give practical advice on how to raise my child (or any other children I might have) in a way that would be pleasing to God. I am so glad that I was able to review this book because I believe I have finally found a good, godly parenting book.

This book is broken up into 12 Chapters with each author writing 4 of the chapters. The chapters in this book include:

1. Being an Intentional Parent
2. Being a Patient Parent
3. Being a Grown-Up Parent
4. Being a Balanced Parent
5. Being a Consistent Parent
6. Being a Playful Parent
7. Being a Connected Parent
8. Being an Encouraging Parent
9. Being a Spiritual Parent
10. Being a Merciful Parent
11. Being a Hopeful Parent
12. Being a Free Parent

Every chapter is full of practical advice. There are thought-provoking questions throughout each chapter that really makes you think and reflect on what you have just read. It is hard to pinpoint one particular chapter being more helpful than another as I found each chapter to have some nugget to take away. I did notice that it mostly seemed geared to parenting older children, though I think this is a helpful book even if you are starting out raising kids (as I am).

I cannot say enough good about this book. Some of the thoughts I'll be taking away from this book are:

• My child needs me to be the grown-up (taken from Chapter 3)
• My child needs me to be consistent - no matter what method of discipline...pick one and stick with it. Kids need structure. (taken from Chapter 5)
• My child needs to see that I need God. I was greatly encouraged by chapter 9 in that I don't have to be a "perfect" parent. My child needs to know that I don't have all of the answers, but that because I'm dependent on God that is who gives me my strength.
• And because I'm depending and trusting on God to help me through every step of my life (especially in wisdom to parent my child) that gives me a freedom to not sweat the small stuff.

I highly recommend this book and will be keeping this one to read for years to come!!! So helpful and practical!

I received this book for free through the Booksneeze.com program. I was under no obligation to give it a positive review.

The 365 Most Important Bible Passages for Mothers: Daily Readings and Meditations on Experiencing the Lifelong Blessing of Being a Mom

 

Reading this book for a review was kind of challenging, not because the content wasn't enjoyable or because it wasn't practical because it all was. But mainly because it is supposed to be a day-by-day devotional book not a sit down and read through the whole thing in a few days.

That being said, this book is such a valuable resource. It was so practical and really helped me as a mom to think more about raising my child. It seemed to me that this book would be helpful for any stage of motherhood you are in, but seeing as my child is only two this is just a guess.

Things to note since you are probably reading this book to find out if you would like to purchase it yourself...if you like the Bible passages to be from only one translation you might not enjoy this book. If you really only like to read from the KJV and nothing else you may want to pass as the KJV isn't used (the NKJV is, but not KJV).

While this book does go by the calendar year, it also has a handy table of contents at the beginning that shows you what the different subjects are throughout the book. This could be helpful if you are really needing to encouragement about a certain topic you could use that as a guide to find a devotional that would be more relevant to what you are going through at that time.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review through Faith Words. All of the opinions are my own.

Be the Mom by Tracey Lanter Eyster

What a breath of fresh air!!! Tracey Eyster was remarkably frank, open and honest. She shared her own personal life experiences showing moms that they aren't alone! Every chapter was engaging and fresh - sharing chapter after chapter of potential mom "traps" that we can easily get into if we aren't careful - these traps include: "Just-a-Mom," "Me Mom," "Martyr Mom," "Busy Mom," "Mirror Mom," "Tomorrow Mom," and "They Say Mom". Tracey explains each of these thoroughly yet with a good balance that she doesn't go overboard.

This book is incredibly practical and I would recommend this heartily to any mom that is wanting to be a godly mom. Not surprisingly, since this book is put out as part of "Focus on the Family" it is written with a Biblical worldview (for anyone that isn't looking for a Biblical worldview - this book is probably not for you as this is the context of the whole book). For those that want to raise their children to love God and want to raise their children according to the Bible - you will enjoy this book and find it extremely practical!!

I highly recommend this book!

This book was sent to me for free in exchange for an  honest review from Tyndale House Publishers. I was under no obligation to give it a positive review.

Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson

I can summarize this book in one word: disappointing, but I'll expound on why I say this as you continue to read. I was so excited to have the opportunity to review this book because when I found out back in the summer of 2010 that I was going to be having a little girl I wanted to read everything I could get my hands on that would help me with raising her. My little girl just turned 18 months old a couple of days ago and I finally had the chance to read this book, but not just read it but own it for giving an honest review on it. I was so excited to read this book and then I started reading it.

It starts out telling about all the horrors of raising a daughter in this day - lack of morality in our country being the main topic that invades so much. I found it quite depressing, but figured that the book was just opening up that way to emphasize how important our roles as parents are in raising our daughters. Unfortunately, it just continued. I was almost 200 pages into the book and it was still just doom and gloom! I was disappointed. Where was the "practical advice and encouragement for those shaping the next generation of women"? This book was anything but practical or encouraging. The majority of this book I felt more and more depressed that I'd decided to have a child in this world that we are living in. But unfortunately (and no I'm really not upset I have my child - she brings such delight to our lives!) I already had a child and didn't read this book ahead of time so I'd know that I shouldn't have a child.

There were only 3 maybe 4 chapters that I felt even talked about how to raise your daughter. The majority of the book was just article after article about the decline in morality in this world. The other portion of the book seemed to plugging other books that Dr. Dobson had previously written so that you'd want to read those. I can tell you that this being my first Dr. Dobson book that I've read and the way this content matter was handled, it will probably also be my last! I can not in good conscience recommend this whole book to anyone that is trying to read a book about raising their daughters.

If you are wanting to read a book that will deter people from having children, then you may have stumbled upon the right one though! If you do feel the need to buy and/or read this book - just skip to the final chapter entitled "The Last Word" because that was the closest the book came to giving any parenting advice.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Tyndale. I was under no obligation to give a positive review.