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It’s the end of the month which means it’s time for another book review!!
I know that most (okay, probably all) of you aren’t holding your breath for my reviews each month, but I’m loving the accountability to actually get a book read each month so that I can review it on here.
And yes, I know I missed two months earlier this year, but hey at least I’m not giving up!
While I like to review all sorts of books here on the blog, I especially like it when I can review a parenting book since I know that’s something that can be of benefit to a lot of my readers. Like Give Them Grace for example. Or today’s book, Strong and Kind; Raising Kids of Character.
I actually hadn’t heard of Strong and Kind until my sister asked if I wanted to borrow it. She told me it was by Korie Robertson, wife of the Duck Dynasty guy, so that made me intrigued.
The book was an easy read and I totally could’ve/should’ve gotten through it quickly but I wasn’t very diligent in my reading this month so I ended up finishing it just in time to write this review. But although it took me awhile it really is an easy read.
Strong and Kind is divided into three sections: 1) The Importance of Good Character, 2) Identifying the Character Traits You Want to See In Your Children, and 3) How to Parent Kids of Character. I liked that Korie broke the book up in this way – it was a nice logical progression.
While the whole book was good, I especially found some good takeaways in the third section, the how-to part. If I hadn’t been borrowing the book from my sister I would’ve underlined like half the section. Lots of good stuff. Here are a few quotes that stuck out (and trust me, there were so many good ones that it was hard for me to pick!)
On the importance of our example as parents:
We can’t just think about what we want for our kids. We can’t just hope they are getting it through the lessons in Bible class. In the end it comes down to living these traits ourselves and doing things on a daily basis that imprint these values onto our children’s hearts and minds. It will take us being kind and strong and loving and compassionate.
On being consistent in discipline:
Kids will test the limits, and if they know that they can sometimes get away with bad behavior, they’ll keep on trying. Its like gambling or buying a lottery ticket. If you sometimes win, you’re going to keep playing.
On parenting with confidence:
You can be confident of this: God has given you the ability to raise the children He has given you, and He has provided you with the best parenting book on the market: the Bible . . . I love that God gives example after example of not-so-perfect parents and children for us to examine and study as we navigate our earthly journey. If we were perfect, we wouldn’t need Him! . . . Being perfect parents and raising perfect children should never be our goal. Raising children who believe in a perfect God is.
This was a book that I know I’ll want to come back to. I loved the emphasis on character and how it’s our job as parents to model the behaviors we want to see in our children.
Strong and Kind doesn’t teach anything new or earth shattering, it just reminds us of the basics – and we all need those reminders on a regular basis. It was a fun, encouraging, and convicting read and I think you’ll love it too.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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