What I most enjoyed about this book is that it is the FIRST parenting book I’ve come across in which the author had more than one baby at a time, she has twins. There are so few books that talk about parenting with multiples, particularly when they are not the oldest. Jankovic had two singleton pregnancies, followed by twins: 4 kids 3 and under {not quite the same brand of crazy as us}.
Until I’ve written the book on raising triplets, while also having a 2 year old…this book will have to do. {And yes, that book is on my To-be-Written list}.
First off, Jankovic is the daughter of Nancy and Doug Wilson, the pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho and the author of countless books and audios on theology and parenting. If you’ve never listened to his collection of sermons on Loving Little Ones…it is something to definitely listen to. Great parenting advice!
Anyways, back to Loving the Little Years.
One of the first things that Jankovic talks about is how the Lord calls us to be fruitful, but that it isn’t limited to bearing children. Having children, and scads of them, does NOT make you a fruitful person. Having NO children doesn’t mean you CAN’T be fruitful. What He calls us to is different than what we are often led to believe.
Being fruitful means giving of ourselves, our own overabundance, to the point of excess. Blessing everyone and everything around us with what we have and create. “Be bountiful with your fruit and free with it. The only thing you can know for certain is that God will use it.”
Throughout the book Jankovic shares several funny stories of her and her husband’s failed attempts at parenting. A few of them had me laughing out loud.
Another thing that Jankovic discusses is how we, as parents, very often will sin right back at our children for their sin: The get even approach. None of the kids are doing what they should and it’s because you didn’t do what you should (for example preparing for getting out of the house in advance, then yelling at the kids for being themselves and adding to the ensuing chaos). The other example she sites is two kids fighting over something and then rather than addressing the heart of the matter (their unwillingness to put others first), just removing the object of discord, because it’s the easier thing to do.
One thing that both Jankovic and Wilson discuss is something that Matt and I absolutely love. The idea of having very strong strictures and rules in place NOW, and as the children grow trusting them to go into the world knowing what is right and wrong, and what is expected of them. Rather than letting them run rampant now, then when they’re teenagers trying to reel them in with a thousand rules.
This book had so many wonderful insights and practical thoughts. Things that we all know, but often we’re so worried about just getting through the day with the kids still alive and the house still standing, that we forget about the importance of actually RAISING and GUIDING our children. Which isn’t that really the whole point anyways?
*This review was entirely my own. I didn’t even receive a free book for writing it :-P
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