I many times hesitate reading parenting books, I usually though do read one once a year. I already started one I picked out for this year, but then Bethany House offered Are My Kids on Track? by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan as a review. The title of the book almost deterred me away, but I have learned you can’t judge a book by it’s title. I was surprised as just how good this book is and seems to be spot on with the many issues children and adults are facing today. This is a book I would recommend to parents, teachers or those that volunteer/work with children. Check it out here http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/are-my-kids-on-track/382670

The book shares about people’s struggle in dealing with emotions, having social skills and lack of faith. These are important areas that shape us and if we as adults lack them, more than likely our children will also, unless we become intentional in caring, listening and teaching our children. Can you imagine the culture shift we would have if we all did this as parents and teachers!

The authors are Christian counselors, who have years of experience, and have backed up the information they share based on research, the Bible, and experience. I know many parents desire for their children to know who they are because of who Jesus is. But sometimes we as adults miss that! Spiritual truth matters and we need to know it and teach it, as the Bible has told us to do. We can not depend on our church or our children’s Sunday school teachers. Here are some of the points you will learn more about as you read this book.

Teaching kindness matters more than being nice.
Learning to disagree with respect matters.
Be more concerned about our children’s character and not happiness.
As parents we should teach our children how to take ownership, instead of blame or ignore, when they cause a problem or do something wrong.
Remind our children we all struggle, need God and community, this is a healthy way to live.
Learn to respond rather than react when we have a situation.
Teach empathy in action early.
Understand when conflict becomes competition.
Dealing with strong-willed children.
The warnings of being passive aggressive, instead learn to speak with strength and kindness.
Assume the best about people, assume the other person wants to be kind, assume they want to do the right thing. Give them the benefit of the doubt , when you are not entirely sure they deserve it. More than likely will provide a much better result, then assuming and accusing right away.
Teach kids to see themselves as valuable, that they are enough, and that they should build their confidence from a God who loves and knows them.
As parents we need to live out the Gospel in a way that speaks truth in the lives of our children.

Another great point about this book is it shows the difference between girls and boys as they go through the different child-age stages and potential stumbling blocks. The authors give great examples of issues and then provide building blocks for those issues for us to use to help as situations arise, to use to help prevent certain negative attitudes and wrong-doing.

“Ultimately your choice will either be determined by fear or by truth.”

“A child’s spiritual development is the only thing that science has shown to reliably predict fulfillment, success, thriving. New science is basically telling us what the old truths have always been saying. Faith is foundational! Your child’s spiritual life matters most of all and science is now backing it up.” Hallelujah I say!!

“The way you help God lay the foundation of their spiritual lives truly does make the most important difference in who they are and who they’re becoming.” So we should be helping our children discover their uniqueness, messiness, beloved identity is in Christ.

“Boundaries create safety and security. They may not be popular, but they are so important to healthy development~emotionally, socially, and spiritually.”

Practical advice and ideas for parents. We need to be constantly alert for what our kids are going through, and what they need from us. This book helps identify and then address these issues.

Rating 3.5 Stars

How then do we give hope to children? We give hope to children when we tell them what matters most. They don't need to be told to try harder, believe more, or do better. That just leaves them in despair. One word trust.

This subject matter is worthy to be purused. Our emotions can take us to both good and dark places. I appreciated this as a mother of two girls and now two grandchildren and with my own experience know the value of emotional maturity. Whether you deny your emotions or if you are consumed by your emotions, we as parents need to help our children with them. To strengthen their trust in us as parents so that our children can have the confidence to express themselves in healthy ways.

The books shares on how we as parents can give our children vocabulary, perspective, teaching empathy and finally resourcefulness. Having our children becoming aware, reciprocity and ownership leads to healthy relationships.

The book is done in 3 parts.

Emotional Milestones
-Emotional Vocabulary
-Perspective
-Empathy
-Resourcefulness

Social Milestones
-Awareness
-Reciprocity
-Ownership
-Boundaries

Spiritual Milestones
-Foundation
-Identity
-Mercy
-Meaning

My only concern was the recommended reading of Jesus Calling. I cannot endorse that as it does not give a solid foundation of faith but someone's own personal experience. Our children's emotional well being should be a concern and I think this book puts a parent in the direction of achieving that for their children. I would definitely look to others books that have more of a solid theology in the emotional well being of our children.

A Special Thank You to Bethany House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

A practical guide for the spiritual, emotional & social growth of your kids. The book covers 12 milestones and applies to boys, then to girls, noting 3 stumbling & 3 building areas. The Milestone that are covered are emotional vocabulary, perspective, empathy, resourcefulness, awareness, awareness, ownership , boundaries, foundation, identity, mercy, & meaning. All 3 of the authors are christian counselors and share stories throughout the book from their own counseling experiences. Each chapter ends with several hands on activities to help but it into practice. This is definitely a book I will come back to time and again.

*This is an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.*

I work in a college/university setting. Just last week, I sat through an extended lecture about the necessity of emotional intelligence and how lacking it is in today's world. Some of the questions asked by the audience showed a remarkable lack of understanding of emotional intelligence, and I see daily evidence of a lack of social and spiritual intelligence in many of the students. This book addresses all three of those areas that are so lacking in our achievement-oriented society.

Each of the three sections of the book (emotional, social, spiritual) is further divided into milestones within those arenas. Emotional milestones discussed are vocabulary, perspective, empathy, and resourcefulness. Social milestones are awareness, reciprocity, ownership, and boundaries. And finally, the spiritual milestones are foundation, identity, mercy, and meaning. Within each of those sections, the authors freely acknowledge that boys and girls handle each of those milestones differently. The book offers clear descriptors and criteria, engaging examples, and helpful and hopeful suggestions for growth.

I've read a lot of child-rearing books, but this book stands out for its practicality and applicability. I have learned much, and I’m even considering using this book as part of our homeschool curriculum to help my teenage girls evaluate themselves in light of these twelve milestones. These authors truly understand the principle presented in the phrase, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his own soul?” A young person that can be on the dean’s list and yet cannot hold a job because he or she keeps mouthing off to the boss is not emotionally, socially, or spiritually ready for the world.

I gratefully received this book from the authors, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I received my approval to review this book on the same day that it was archived. If there is any way to still get a copy of the book to review, I would love to!

This was an excellent read. I so appreciated the thought and care that was put into this book as it offered such valuable insights for parenting kids of all ages to be the best, emotionally mature future adults that they can be. Filled with keen insight and practical advice this book is a must read for all parents!

Thoughtful and thorough book on Parenting, covering childhood to teenage years. I enjoyed the writing and practical information given. I appreciated the more academic information, and the anecdotal stories of the lives they've had the opportunity to listen to and influence. I felt like this book offered an honest approach to parenting and understanding our children. I loved the themes of empathy and kindness. The spirituality chapters were especially poignant. I'll be reading this a second time, slower and more thoughtfully. So much good information to sit with.