on reading and discovery...
>> Saturday, July 11, 2009
A few weeks ago I was browsing amazon.com for something - can't remember what - and ran across a list of parenting books that caught my eye.
In our desire to spend the months of pregnancy in purposeful preparation for Munchkin's arrival, Hubby and I had already sat down and read together through Adventist Home, and Child Guidance, (both by the author Ellen White and I highly recommend them). I'll add book reviews on those two later.
But it was time for a new booklist to keep us reading and talking. I'm fortunate to have married a man who actually is capable and willing (most of the time) to communicate articulately about feelings, thoughts, and family plans. It's an incredible blessing that I know many women long for, and I don't take it lightly.
We don't want to be accidental parents. The kind who just bumble through family life with no purpose or plan. (Read this post for the Family Vision we created 2 years ago at a Family Vision Planning Workshop.)
That doesn't mean we aren't aware that no parent is perfect. We are destined to make mistakes. Guaranteed. But we'd like to think that there's some chance we can limit our mistakes to those rooted in good intentions rather than idiocy.
So we do a lot of reading together. And we talk about it, formulating concepts and ideas and plans in (attempted) unity.
Hence, the upcoming book reviews. If you've read these books, too - tell me what you thought of them. If you go and buy a book because of one of my reviews, I'd love to know your reaction.
And no, I don't get commissions from Amazon.com. (Although, hmmm, I wonder if that's possible?)
7 comments:
As with all great enterprises:
1. Intentionality -- clarity of the goal.
2. Sharing the goal with another involved and engaged person.
3. Information from diverse sources.
Those are essential for success everywhere. Business, marriage and child raising ... and more.
:)
Sarah ... your execution of the fundamentals is flawless. NOT perfect, flawless. LOL .... What that means is good enough, but some don't like the words good enough. :)
Sarah, I enjoy reading about your pregnancy journey. Just wanted to pass on the title of a book that was INVALUABLE in my parenting. "Babywise" by Gary and Annemarie Ezzo. It was absolutely the practical how to I needed to put the beautiful principles of Child Guidance into action. You can google "Growing Kids God's Way" and find more about their ministry. VERY good!
personally i did not find Babywise helpful. My world was turned right-side up after reading Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg. Each person will identify with different things so apply whatever suits you and baby best.
I am a great fan of:
1. Allowing God to guide me in the work of raising my child.
2. Collaborating with my spouse in doing that.
3. Belief in my intuition and my spouses intuition about raising children.
4. Very little else on raising children.
Babywise is quite the controversial book. Mothers in my neck of the woods are very opposed to it. Me? Not ready to make a judgment call exactly...but would definitely encourage you to look at both sides.
Crissy
i think with every book, you take what you can and leave what doesn't apply. but i'd have to say my opinion is that the reason why many (not all) people throw out babywise is that it requires parental self-discipline...and that is hard, but believe me, it goes much farther in parenting then one would first think.
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