Rating: 5/5 stars
I've had this book on my shelf a while, and I finally made the time to read it. I am very glad I did. I have already made plans to include this on my TBR list every year (along with books like "How to Win Friends and Influence People") and that is a rare thing, indeed. I almost never re-read anything. I feel that this book has a lot of helpful information for mothers of all ages, and the values of the author, Karol Ladd, align almost 100% with my own. This book is incredibly dense with inspirational words and practical ideas. I found myself dogearing pages to go back to (again, I never do that!) I love how each chapter has a scripture reading, prayer, and call to action. I have been journaling and working through the Bible in a year, and I was happy to include some of the activities in my journal. For example, she suggested making a list of all the positive qualities you see in your children (talents, character traits, etc.) and I found that to be very uplifting. I have not really sat and thought about the uniqueness of my children, and I want to start parenting them more toward their "bent" and demeanor as this author talks about. Some of the chapters were a little challenging to read, as I found myself making note of lots of things I could be doing better. The chapter on discipline I found very helpful, as she described what biblical discipline should look like (in very general terms.) Some of the "hands-off" "positive reinforcement"-only advice is very obviously not sustainable, and I needed to read this chapter as a reminder that discipline does, indeed, need to "hurt" in order to be effective BUT it also needs to come from a place of love, NEVER anger. That is what God does for us. There were, of course, a few chapters that I didn't relate to well. While I did enjoy the challenge of maintaining friendships (which I plan to do) I feel like much of these "relationship" chapters were written for very social people. When she suggested finding an older, mature Christian woman who is NOT a family member to meet with, I found myself getting a little overwhelmed. How am I supposed to have the time or emotional/mental energy for that? It causes enough anxiety just thinking about maintaining one or two strong friendships. It is something I will work on though. I know no man is an island.
Overall, I would recommend this book to ANY Christian mother with children in college and below. She is consistent in pointing back to scripture to justify all of her points. There is an awesome mixture of anecdotes and very practical advice. I ordered "The Power of a Positive Wife" and was thrilled to see that she had written that as well. Five stars!
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