Parenting isn’t easy. Maybe you’re a new parent, or maybe your children have entered a new phase of life. Read on for resources for different phases in the parenting journey.
For the New Parent:
The Lifegiving Parent by Clay and Sally Clarkson
From the family that brought you The Lifegiving Home and The Lifegiving Table, discover how you can become a parent who gives your child a life worth living for Christ.
In today’s world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and even paralyzed by the constant flow of parenting advice. We’re flooded with so much practical information that we wonder if we’re choosing the right way. And we may be missing the one thing God really wants us to give to our children: His life. God doesn’t include a divine methodology for parenting in the Bible, but He does provide principles that can enable any faithful parent to bring His life into the life of their home.
In The Lifegiving Parent, respected authors and parents Clay and Sally Clarkson explore eight key principles—heartbeats of lifegiving parenting—to shed light on what it means to create a home where your children will experience the living God in your family. Now parents of four grown children—each with their own unique personality and gifts—Sally and Clay have learned (sometimes the hard way!) that the key to shaping a heart begins at home as you foster a deep and thoughtful God-infused relationship with each child. Filled with biblical insight and classic Clarkson stories, The Lifegiving Parent will equip you with the tools and wisdom you need to give your children much more than just a good Christian life. You’ll give them the life of Christ. (Don’t miss the companion piece, The Lifegiving Parent Experience!)
For the Parent of Young Children:
Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch
“But everyone else has it.” “If you loved me, you’d get it for me!” When you hear these comments from your kids, it can be tough not to cave. You love your children—don’t you want them to be happy and to fit in?
Kristen Welch knows firsthand it’s not that easy. In fact, she’s found out that when you say yes too often, it’s not only hard on your peace of mind and your wallet—it actually puts your kids at long-term risk. In Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, Kristen shares the ups and downs in her own family’s journey of discovering why it’s healthiest not to give their kids everything. Teaching them the difference between “want” and “need” is the first step in the right direction. With many practical tips and anecdotes, she shares how to say the ultimate yes as a family by bringing up faith-filled kids who will love God, serve others, and grow into hardworking, fulfilled, and successful adults.
It’s never too late to raise grateful kids. Get ready to cultivate a spirit of genuine appreciation and create a Jesus-centered home in which your kids don’t just say—but mean!—“thank you” for everything they have.
For the Parent of Girls:
Inspire Bible for Girls NLT: The Bible for Coloring and Creative Journaling by Tyndale and Christian Art
The #1–selling Inspire Bible is a beautiful single-column, wide-margin New Living Translation Bible for coloring and creative journaling that has become a treasured legacy Bible for many. Young girls have enjoyed coloring and creative art-journaling in the Inspire Bible, and now there is an edition just for them!
The new Inspire Bible for Girls is designed to draw girls ages 8 and up deeper into God’s Word and to inspire creativity and connection with God! In addition to the much-loved features of Inspire, the Inspire Bible for Girls includes over 300 devotionals written by bestselling author Carolyn Larsen plus book introductions, journaling prompts, and interesting Bible facts to enhance girls’ coloring and creative journaling journey through the Bible.
Over 500 beautiful full and partial-page Scripture line-art illustrations to color are attractively displayed throughout the Bible. There are lots of pages with open space for creativity in the lightly-ruled, two-inch-wide margins. Girls can leave traces of their faith throughout their Bible for a unique treasure that will truly inspire!
The 8.65-point font is larger and more readable than other coloring Bibles, and the high-quality white Bible paper makes it a great choice for creatively responding to God’s Word right on the pages of the Bible. Instill the joy and value of reading the Bible in young girls’ hearts so they can learn to connect with God and discover valuable truths from Scripture—and ultimately live it out in their lives!
For the Parent of Boys:
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas
Playing off the themes in the Caldecott Medal-winning children’s book Where the Wild Things Are, this informative, practical, and encouraging guide will help parents guide boys down the path to healthy and authentic manhood. Wild Things addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual parts of a boy, written by two therapists who are currently engaged in clinical work with boys and their parents and who are also fathers raising five sons. Contains chapters such as “Sit Still! Pay Attention!” “Deficits and Disappointments,” and “Rituals, Ceremonies, and Rites of Passage.”
For the Parent who Wants their Teen to Read (resource for them):
The Crescent Stone by Matt Mikalatos
A girl with a deadly lung disease . . .
A boy with a tragic past . . .
A land where the sun never sets but darkness still creeps in . . .
A bargain that brings life, but may cost more than anyone can imagine . . .
Madeline Oliver has never wanted for anything, but now she would give anything just to breathe. Jason Wu skates through life on jokes, but when a tragedy leaves him guilt-stricken, he promises to tell only the truth, no matter the price. When a mysterious stranger name Hanali appears to Madeline and offers to heal her in exchange for one year of service to his people, Madeline and Jason are swept into a strange land where they don’t know the rules and where their decisions carry consequences that reach farther than they could ever guess.
For the Parent of Active Kids:
Hands on Bible NLT by Tyndale
Jesus taught with hands-on lessons and illustrations. The Hands-On Bible uses the same experience-based learning to communicate God’s Word in an active, understandable way. This new edition features updated tip-ins, a more portable size for kids, an attractive cover, and online parenting helps. With hundreds of fun, memorable activities (A “Do-It” activity in EVERY feature!) and the full New Living Translation text, the Hands-On Bible is packed with activities and experiences that invite kids to crawl inside the Scriptures and “do” God’s Word!
For the Parent with Nearly Adult Teens:
Give Them Wings by Carol Kuykendall
Your teen comes home with her driver’s license. College catalogs fill your mailbox. Senior pictures are taken, and graduation gowns are fitted. The family car is loaded to take your college freshman to his dorm.
During that transition time when a teen becomes a young adult, family roles must stretch and adjust to accommodate spreading wings. What can you expect in this process? Give Them Wings offers insight into how families change as parents and teens make room for the future. Emphasizing the need for independence and responsibility, Give Them Wings explores many ways that parents can equip their teen.
If your children are on the brink of adulthood, Give Them Wings can help you survive the changes and thrive on the challenges the next few years will bring. You can be prepared to help your teens journey into adulthood, as well as learn to enjoy the process of emptying the nest.
