What am I reading this week? The Lifegiving Parent by Clay and Sally Clarkson.
A lot of parenting books are written by parents who are in the thick of it. They have children who are the same age as my own, which can be encouraging. After all, they know exactly how I feel and what I’m dealing with – today, this week, this year.
But there are fewer books written by parents who have been through the journey. Whose children are grown and they can clearly see the results of their years of intentional parenting.
The Lifegiving Parent is this type of book. The Clarksons have written dozens of books over the years. They span from when their children were younger to adulthood. They can see the fruits of their labor. And that makes their advice on the parenting journey infinitely more valuable.
The Lifegiving Parent offers practical day-to-day advice, but that’s not the focus of the book. Rather it aims to teach parents to reach their children’s hearts, where they will have the most influence and better equip them to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.
My honest opinion about The Lifegiving Parent…
I found The Lifegiving Parent inspiring. It gave me a glimpse into parenting from the standpoint of parents who have already been through every stage and came out on the other side with healthy, happy, successful children.
We all want that for our kids, right? To see them doing what they love. For them to be close with us even into adulthood. To know they made it through the struggles that we see them wrestling with today. We want this for our kids, and we want to be the ones walking beside them through it.
I’ve read tons of parenting books that give me theories and ideas for one behavior or another. But rarely do they focus on a child’s heart like this one, and our hearts as parents.
For a Christian parent, this book is especially valuable. Not just for the scripture that is used to back up the Clarkson’s parenting style, but for the overarching theme of that style – fulfilling God’s purpose.
Our children were born for a reason. God has a plan for them and it’s our jobs to prepare them and train them up for it.
One caveat…
The one thing that I found discouraging is that I felt at times like I was too late. The Clarksons had a parenting plan before they had their first child. They parented intentionally and with wholehearted focus from the beginning. For those of us who are later to the game, who lack a cohesive plan with our spouses, whose parenting is more reactive than proactive – well, we can feel like maybe we’re too late.
This feeling isn’t implied by the book, just a natural feeling one gets when they instinctively compare themselves to other parents. But the success of Sally and Clay Clarkson doesn’t mean that we will experience failure. Or that we are failures.
We all need examples to follow. Mentors to emulate. For me, the Clarksons act as mentors. I hope that my own children will grow up into their God-given purposes. I hope we will have a similarly close relationship into adulthood.
Will I get there on exactly the same path as Sally and Clay? Probably not. But I love having a blueprint to work off of. One that is biblically founded and can guide me through the next steps in the journey of parenting.
My recommendations…
I’d suggest this book to anyone who has kids or is planning to. There are a lot of take-aways from this book and everyone can glean something useful for their own family.
I also recommend the accompanying The Lifegiving Parent Experience, which walks you through some of the concepts talked about in the book for your use at home. It’s full of thoughtful questions and helpful ideas to encourage and improve your own parenting style.
Other recommended reading by the Clarksons:
Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him by Sally and Nathan Clarkson
The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming by Sally and Sarah Clarkson
The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ’s Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children by Sally Clarkson
Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide by Clay Clarkson
Happy Reading!
(The Lifegiving Parent is available for FREE in audiobook form. Just sign up for the FREE AUDIBLE trial and cancel whenever you want!)
So, what are you reading this week? Have any suggestions for me?
Interested in more on books? Then check out these posts:
Why I Read So Much & How You Can Read More, Too
My November Reading List Picks
[Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links. So, if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own and I never recommend anything I haven’t used myself and loved.]
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