InterVarsity Press, 192 pp., $16.00,
www.ivpress.com
“We are raising a generation with perfect teeth and twisted hearts… Being nice will not equip our children to be effective… help them become kingdom builders…[or] stand apart. We need to strategically train them to engage and challenge… teach them qualities and skills that will make a difference in their lives and in the lives of others… In a word, we need to disciple our children.”
These are some of the challenging insights offered in this book, which is anything but a how-to recipe book for parenting. Rather, Smith offers a challenge to the philosophy with which we engage the task of raising kids: to value discipleship over discipline, preparation over protection, and internal strength over external facades.
Smith addresses issues of vision, authenticity, listening, empathy, compassion, discernment, setting boundaries, contentment, loving passionately, and kids who will stand up in a liedown world. This is not a book just for parents; it is a valuable resource for everyone invested in the lives of children, from infancy to adulthood — a must read whether your child is 18 months or 18 years.
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Review by: SONIA URBAN, Youth Counselor, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
