“It’s my story of letting go of control and manipulation and parenting for my reputation, and relearning to parent from a place of love and grace.”
Parenting is not easy. There are so many parenting books out there that give advice on what to do and say (or not do and say), but not many address the heart and attitude of a parent. Love-Centered Parenting does focus on having parents take a hard look at their own motivations and encourages them to both evaluate they lies they believe about themselves and then replace them with the truth of being loved by God. Then parents can find a way to lean in and love their children well.
I am part of the launch team for Love-Centered Parenting. I was given an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. I have followed Crystal Paine for many years and have loved her advice on ways to save money and tips for blogging. Recently, I started listening to the podcast she has with her husband and enjoy how real they are and open to sharing their lives.
Love-Centered Parenting is a faith-based book about the heart of a parent. Crystal shares many stories of both successes and failures from her time as a mother so far. She opens by sharing that one of their children was suicidal at one point. There were called into the principal’s office to find out their child had been bullying other children and acting out inappropriately. No teachers or other parents had told them what was going on. They ended up having to take the child to the ER before they got the help and counseling they needed. This was a wake-up call for them as parents and Crystal shares from her heart so other parents can learn the lesson she did without having to hit rock-bottom in parenting.
The goal in parenting should be to love our children well, not base our reputation on what they do or define being a good parent by a child’s actions. The only way to do this is to base parenting decisions on love, according to Crystal. I would recommend this book to every parent and parent-to-be out there – or to anyone who takes care of children. While she says Love-Centered Parenting is geared with advice to parents of young children since she is still in the midst of parenting teens, I feel her advice works very well for being a parent of teens.
What is the best parenting book you’ve read? Share in the comments?