Are My Kids on Track?

Are My Kids on Track? is the title of a new book by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan.  Every parent wants to know whether they are doing right by their kids.  Are we doing enough?  Are we preparing our kids for life?  Are we loving them well?  Are we good parents?

A few years ago, I read my favorite parenting book--Growing Grateful Kids.  In that book, Susie Larson says that we can't give ourselves something we don't have ourselves--so we still need to work first on our own hearts (with the Lord's help) rather than simply focus on what we see that we want to see fixed in our kids hearts.  That piece of advice has been a huge one for me that always lingers in the back of my brain.  It also dovetails nicely with this book.

Goff, Thomas, and Trevathan tackle some of the difficult life and emotional milestones of children's development.  They give separate insight and advice for boys and girls in each chapter.  Yes, they are wired differently!  I read through various pieces of advice from this book and found that the writing

sounds like counselor's voices.  The voices don't sound like that of Growing Grateful Kids or Journey of a Strong-Willed Child.  The tone of this book is more like a textbook or a reference book.  It is focused on parenting K-12th graders.  It isn't about parenting little ones.

I really like that the authors identify both stumbling blocks and building blocks for boys and girls.
One example is what the authors wrote about the stumbling block of entitlement for boys.  There was the simple insight that boys stumble here when they believe the rules don't apply to them.  Hmm... Something to think about and something to make sure I convey to my son.

Your children or my children may not struggle with all of the stumbling blocks, but if you see some they do, the book may be helpful.    I like that the authors come back to the Word of God.  I also like that the authors continually encourage parents to look at their own patterns of behavior and responding to life and how those patterns influence their children's responses.

But, the biggest thing I would say after reading this book is that we need to love our children for who they are--not who who want them to be--or even think they should be.  As parents, we want our children to become who God has for them to be.  If you're looking for some ideas about how to tackle some emotional stumbling blocks your children are wrestling with, this may be a book worth checking out!

Please note that I received a copy of this book from Bethany House books, but that this review contains my own opinions.