Smart Mom Recommended Reading
An Encouraging Book for Mom and a Devotional Daughters
This week I have been reading 2 books: one that will bring encouragement for moms (and dads) and one that will give your tween and teen daughters spiritual truths. Parenting with Grace and Truth by Dan Seaborn will give you new and helpful insights on your parenting. His focus is on parenting like Jesus would parent. Whatever is Lovely is a devotional for teens and preteens showing them the differences between what the world says is good and what God says is lovely.
Note: I would like to thank the publisher of Parenting with Grace and Truth for providing me a copy of this book to review and Booklook Bloggers for providing me a copy of Whatever is Lovely. All opinions here are my own. For your convenience, this post includes affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Parenting with Grace and Truth by Dan Seaborn
Parenting with Grace and Truth by Dan Seaborn gives parents insights into parenting by leading and loving your kids like Jesus.
Dan Seaborn is personal and helpful in this book. Sharing examples from his experiences and from his own family. The book includes chapters on:
- Developing character
- Deciding what is normal for your family
- Helping your children with their unique talents and abilities
- Handling a crisis
- Effective Parenting
- Parenting in a Blended Family
- Roles of Mom and Dad
As I read this book, I found helpful parenting advice in every chapter. But my favorite chapter was about understanding normal and not letting others take your normal from you. I learned to look at my family and home and decide what is normal for us without comparing ourselves to others (and not let my tweens and teens tell me what’s normal for others should be normal for us too).
For me the biggest takeaway from this book is hidden on page 72, recognizing the difference between hurt vs. harm. As parents so often we want to keep our children from hurt and unfairness. We have to recognize our role as support and encouragement, but it’s not always best to step in a take away every hurt (hurts happen to us all every day). We have to allow our children to grow (and sometimes fail) letting them know we are there supporting them.
I recommend Parenting with Grace and Truth to moms and dads who want to parent in Christlike style. Dan Seaborn provides helpful insights into daily challenges of parenting.
Whatever is Lovely by Allia Zobel Nolan
Whatever is Lovely by Allia Zobel Nolan is a beautiful devotional book for tweens and young teens. Beautifully designed book to inspire and grow young girls in their Christian faith.
The book has a pretty design (lots of hearts) and soft purple colors on the inside with a ribbon bookmark. Each daily reading has a main thought summarizing the lesson, a secondary thought, and a Divine thought (short prayer for the day). A full page is also included for your daughter to write down her thoughts and lessons she is learning through the readings.
I love how the each daily reading has a focus Bible verse, lesson and gives a “life example” (illustration young girls can relate to) to apply this Biblical principle to their life. For example, the lesson on temptation gives an illustration on thinking about keeping a lost a bracelet you found even though you know it belongs to a friend. The lesson teaches right thinking and the right actions.
Whatever is Lovely will give your tween and teen a foundation for Christian character and actions that will make her lovely in the eyes of God. It will help your daughter know how to make the right choices based on Christian principles when faced with daily challenges to sin.
Your turn…
Tell me a parenting truth you have learned recently? Or how do you encourage your children to grow spiritually?
