It has been years since I read a parenting book, actual years. There does come a time when you feel yourself emerging from the chaos of little kids underfoot and all the madness that was nighttime feeds and toilet training… only to discover that you are wandering through the mire of teenagers. To be honest, before we had kids I knew it all… I knew exactly how my kids would behave (perfectly), I knew when they would conquer milestones (timeously) and I knew what to look out for, in order to celebrate, of course. Then the more kids we had the less I knew about parenting, it was as though my expertise literally shrivelled away! There is no one set child, there is no one way to raise our children and in our ever changing world there is no place for “one style fits all” parenting and definitely no space for “cookie cutter” parenting.
The more people that tell me that I should write a book on parenting the more my kids knock the wind out of my sails… each child in there special way has made sure that any preconceived parenting ideas can totally be thrown out of the window. Luckily I don’t have to write a parenting book, because my friend, Mandi Hart, has written a parenting book called Parenting World Changers… and it is an excellent read for parents trying to hang onto their families and raise children with a christian world view in an ever-changing and extremely chaotic setting.
Never before have our kids had to embrace a world that their parents literally know nothing about… if you think your children have the same troubles you did at school, then you are mistaken. Cyber-bullying, online addiction, peer pressure, gender confusion, depression and anxiety are the issues are children are facing at earlier and earlier ages… these problems while relevant now, won’t be the same problems teens and tweens are facing in five years time, simply because the world is changing at such a rapid rate. We, as their parents, need to equip our children to cope and thrive… and to do that we need good, solid relationships with them. We need to talk with our children and Parenting World Changers will help you do that.
Parenting World Changers
This book is all about connecting with your kids in a meaningful way, there are loads and loads of tips on how to talk to your kids with intention. Not just your little kids, but your teenagers too. I think this book arrived on my desk at a very timeous moment… as I soldier my way through parenting several teenagers through a pandemic, no less, I have had to keep in mind, on many days, that any conversation is a good conversation. Really our teenagers have had a rough time navigating their way through a world that we cannot even have imagined for ourselves let alone for them.
Kids today live in a wildly different world to the one that we grew up in. The rules we lived our lives by as kids, like home before dark, and such like… no longer hold true on any level. In those days being home meant, safely within the confines of your family and under your parents’ roof… Nowadays our kids may be home physically, but they are out in the online world twenty-four-seven. The online world is no less real than the physical world that they live in. In fact, just because your children are physically at home… does not mean that they are “mentally” at home at all… and rules like leave your phone in a basket at the front door, might work in some families, but certainly not ours. The big deal here is not so much “rules are rules” but can your kids set their own boundaries.
I love her calm and straightforward tone, I love her practical tips, I love that she writes from her heart and her experiences and I especially loved her chapter on Intentional Talk-Time… and her 25 Questions to Ignite Conversations is pure gold. I have always said, there is no better place than when you are lifting your teen to and fro from activities. While you are driving, your kids are a captive audience, but you have to keep your eye on the road… all those awkward conversations that you would rather avoid, all those really awkward conversations… save them for in the car. Your kids will thank you, because you won’t have to look them in the eye and even more important, you will be able to get to those hard to reach topics.
But this book is more than that… this book has tips on how to have just regular every day conversations with our kids… find them where they are and talk to them. I love her Table Talk questions… just to get the dinner conversation beyond “How was your day?” And it doesn’t have to only be about the big things… remember the things that matter most from your childhood… it really is the little things that count. I don’t for one second presume I will be raising World Changers, but secure children in a complex world, is definitely something that I am aiming for. If you are looking for a way forward, if you think your kids are going in one direction, while you are praying they go in another direction… then this book is a great read, it will definitely encourage you… in so many way. Live with intention, pray with intention and talk to your children with intention. Your kids want nothing more than your guidance, even if they say they don’t. This book is a great resource, for parents who would like to be the calm in their kids’ storm.
Parenting Journal
Along with Parenting World Changers, there is the lovlieast of Parenting Journals… it is the kind of book that is almost two beautiful to write in – but you must. Don’t save the good things for those special magical moments, a journal like this will turn your ordinary everyday things into magical moments.
It has a page for your children’s names, topical topics to think about: Key life verses, Building character and the most stunning 31 Days of Prayer for your Child, and a section teaching Life Lessons. There is loads of space to jot things down and put your own thoughts onto paper.
The bulk of the book contains blank pages for you to write on, each with a Bible Verse and something to think about on it. It has a gorgeous teal cover, and a lovely feel. Once it has been filled up it will be a precious keepsake. This is an extremely giftable book for a mom looking to have a closer relationship with her kids, so for any mom really.
I received these books as a gift, it is not a sponsored post, I chose to blog about them because they are fabulous. You can get hold of Mandi Hart’s books on her website.
