I'll begin by saying I chose a most excellent book to start this process: Rebecca Hagelin's, 30 Ways in 30 Days to Save Your Family. I only wish I could have consumed it quicker and been more faithful at getting my review up on my blog! I'm not sure if the author truly expects one to read their way through this book in 30 days- I obviously did not. There is just so much to digest in the way of links to check out online and resources to look into for more information. I loved that aspect and have a very long list of them that I'd like to peruse at some point.
On the other hand, it is an easy read and one that is indispensable for any parent. In fact, this is a perfect book to give as a gift to parents with children between the ages of "soon to be born" and 16 (I suppose). I especially love her advice for parents of teenagers- I will most certainly be referring back to this book for help in those years.
The book begins with a wonderful foreword from one of my favorite commentators, Sean Hannity, in which he calls this a "handbook" that he wishes "America had years ago". Thankfully, we have this book now and can take its ideas and suggestions and put them into practice...today!
And I'll take this opportunity to share one of my favorite photos from a few years back...
Two good looking people and one random one in the back... right, back to the review.
Rebecca begins the first chapter (and continues straight through the entire book) with a charge to us parents. She reminds us that we are indeed in a battle with our culture and that we need to "fight to protect our children's innocence, their childhood, their character...". YES! And that task can seem so daunting when you look at it all at the same time. But she continues throughout the book to provide very real, practical ways to take steps toward protecting our kids.
And she's very encouraging, too. I love this quote from chapter 1:
"It's imperative that we teach our children that our battle is not with them, but with other adults who have a different world-view and care nothing about our futures."
Each chapter is filled with personal accounts of successes and failures and wonderful anecdotes. They begin with "A Challenge" in which Rebecca highlights what we are up against, complete with statistics- but not too many that your head starts to spin- and then she moves on to "From my home to Yours" (in some chapters). Here she outlines specific steps that we can take to put "the challenge" into practice in our homes.
The practical tips are my favorite. What parent doesn't want concrete ideas? And quite possibly you may be doing many of the things she suggests already -- Rebecca offers great encouragement to keep fighting the good fight! At the end of each chapter we are offered the opportunity to "Act Now" by signing and dating a pledge that states your goal for the way in which you'll put what you just read into practice.
Lastly, she offers us "More Help". This is the section I greatly appreciated. Oftentimes when I'm reading something quite insightful I want to learn more. Mrs. Hagelin gives us, at the minimum, two extra resources to turn to find information about the subject she discussed throughout the chapter. For instance, in the chapter entitled "Battle the Culture Not Your Child", you'll find 6, ranging from websites to books dealing with this very subject.
The biggest take away from this book and the one that I want to leave you with is that it's not okay to wait until you have a problem with your kids. We can and must be pro-active in the lives of our children. One cannot just sit back and yell at the kids to "stop doing that" or "turn off the tv"- we need to direct and lead our children in a way that strengthens them to make the right decisions whether we are with them or not.
I'll end with this quote from the second chapter, to give you hope that good great things can come about when we put the effort into our parenting:
"... each morning offers a brand new chance to reclaim your home, to touch your child's heart in a deep and meangingful way, and to teach leassons that will always guide them."
This book was reviewed as part of the Catholic Company Book Review program. Hurry HERE and grab your copy... TODAY!
I like it! I would love to hear some of the practical ideas that you've actually incorporated...follow up post???
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very interesting read. I'd like to give it a look over.
ReplyDeleteOK, first I thought that you said Sean Hannity was one of your favorite commentors, as in he frequently commented on your blog and I was all "wow, she has a celebrity who frequently comments here, how did I miss that?" then I reread it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that last quote... fabulous! Sounds like a great book... thanks for sharing!
Crafty wishes Sean Hannity was a regular commenter here! Hehe!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great first review! I reserved my copy from my library already, but there is a waiting list so I may end up ordering it from B&N instead. We shall see.
Looking forward to reading it, though!
Missed me some She's A Crafty Pumpkin!