This will be a great book for other readers. I didn't realize when I requested it that it was a Christian book, which isn't helpful for me or most of my readers who tend to be secular. The advice seemed fairly positive, which I appreciated.

This is a good read for parents of teens,those who work with teens and even those with young kids. While I didn't agree with the author's perspective on everything, I did appreciate many of the concepts and principles she shared. It was very helpful!

Have you ever noticed that there are a ton of parenting books for infants and very few for teenagers? I've always found that a little odd, even more so as I became a parent of a teen because the truth is that it is so much more difficult to navigate the teen relationship than it is the infant one. I'm so thankful that Connie Albers took the time and energy to create this book, Parenting Beyond the Rules.



She does a great job of encouraging and directing parents of teens with this book. Since she's navigated that territory before, it's almost like sitting down with a friend that has been there done that. She encourages and challenges. The overarching theme of this work is to listen and to remember that in just a few short years, these young people that share a roof with us will be on their own and making decisions for themselves. If we just make all the decisions for them through the use and implementation of rules, how does that benefit them in the long run? I should say that Albers does not call for the end of all rules, we encounter those in every aspect of life, from uniforms for work to speed limits. She is saying that if we want to win our children's hearts for Jesus then we need to be very aware of how we interact with them. Becoming a warden that is out to make sure they're punished for every misdeed does not foster a loving relationship.



Albers does an excellent job of walking through how to become a trusted confidant. She covers many areas in the life of a teen and how to counsel and direct your children without having to make very strict rules that address behavior without ever addressing their heart. And I think that is what is at the core of this book, we spend so many years when our children are younger directing their behavior and the teen years are when we have to trust that they've learned how to behave and to keep a close eye on their heart. There are so many different people and agendas that are vying for a piece of our teens, it's important that we give them a safe place to express themselves and discover who they truly are. We can go from people that take care of their needs to ones that are a safe harbor in the midst of life's storms. And becoming a harbor can create a relationship that will not only persist but thrive into adulthood for our children.



Throughout the book, I would bring up some ideas expressed to my daughter, to get her opinion. At one point she asked if I was reading this book because I thought I was a bad parent. My response was no, it's so that I can be the best parent for her. And that's what this book does, it's not meant to fix a broken parent though I may very well be able to. It's not meant to fix a broken relationship with your kids, though it could do that as well. I believe that this book is to make sure that you stay the course in regards to raising your children. It's meant to remind you in the times in which it's easy to get caught up in behavioral issues, preference exploration, and so many physical, mental, spiritual changes that you can do it! You can continue to be their parent and work towards letting them live a life that they are proud of and that you're proud of as well. You can do it! You can raise your child and let them go. You can trust in the work that's already been done in those years leading up to the teens and know that when they discover their freedom, they will use it for good.





I received a copy of this book from NavPres through Netgalley for the purpose of review. I'm never required to give a good review but always thankful when I can.

As a mom of a 15-year-old, and a soon to be 13-year-old, and another soon-to-be 11-year-old, this book is an ideal read for this season of my life.

I confess that in the past, I've looked at the future with dread when I considered parenting my teens. I was blessed to stay at home with them when they were little, and their devotion and affection was natural. As my oldest turned into a teen, I knew he had to separate from me to have independence. Yet I'm grieving the past season and needing help to look at the bright side of this parenting season.

Connie's book breathes hope and peace into a parent's heart. She writes without pointing her finger at you. She cries in the trenches beside you. Connie admits that the parenting teens season is different from other seasons, and you have to change your game. She gently and kindly helps you accept this new season and offers a myriad of practical, biblical tips to guide you through.

I'm savoring this book slowly, one chapter at a time, before I begin the next. It is helping me examine my thoughts and actions, filter them through God's will, and make changes that honor my children. I'm starting to let go easier, and I thank Connie for inspiring me to love my children without smothering them.

I recommend this book to all parents who are starting this new season of parenting teens. You'll be delightfully surprised at the warm welcome you receive from Connie, along with takeaways you can start applying today.

The publisher graciously sent me a preview copy of Parenting Beyond the Rules.

My husband and I are always trying to read books to encourage us and guide us through the parenting years. It is always a surprise to read a book from an author I don´t know. Since we are preparing for giving a course on parenting on may, I thought this book sounds just right for us, since I paint I was very attracted by the cover. When I read an author who it is not afraid of teen years, but hopeful and focusing on the heart and relationship, I´m interested. I don´t like books that expect the worst from teens and want you to think of them as “the enemy” or without any positive expectations. I want to keep learning about how to raise children with limits but freedom because soon or later they will fly and start their own families. We need to connect and develop our listener's hearts, it reminded me in some paragraphs to Paul Tripp. If you need practical and doable ideas this book may be good for you. If you are like most type-A parents, you have a system for everything and the rules are clear in your house, but how is your relationship with them? “the key to their hearts comes by way of relationship, not rules”, you may cringe if you don´t like that but I believe is true. You may read the different styles of parents and recognize your weaknesses and strengths (authoritative, permissive, helicopter, hovering, or lawnmower parent). She explains and encourages you to “understanding their world, listening, monitoring your mouth, tackling tough topics, squashing your fears, and staying engaged,” I thought about my parents a lot through some paragraphs. If you love overviews and bullets you will enjoy and find these pages very useful. This is a book for a parent who really wants to engage and understand. I like when an author sounds “humble” and not like “I know everything and I´m perfect”, I´m grateful about it.

Parenting Beyond the Rules focuses on the importance of relationship rather than rules when parenting teens. Author Connie Albers emphasizes that taking the time to listen to your teen and get to the heart of the matter is more effective than a strict emphasis on rules and behavior. Throughout the book, Albers provides numerous examples from her own experiences as a parent of teens. I found this book was a good reminder of parenting advice but did not contain much in the way of "new information." It is a fairly fast-paced book and recommended to parents who are entering the teen years.

Have you ever read a book that just reaches out and speaks to you? Parenting Beyond The Rules grabbed me by the apron strings from the first page.

I love that the author weaves her message in and about the story of her own homeschool adventure and the other moms that she got to know. You can find yourself in the host of characters. It has the effect of making you feel you are a part of the journey she tells.

By far and away, this is the best parenting book I have read. It is perfect for anyone with children, whether you homeschool or not. If you have children and love them, you need this book!

I loved it. As a counselor who works with teens, this is the kind of thing that parents today need to read. We're so focused on making sure that there are safe spaces, and no one's feelings get hurt, that we forget to look at how this plays out in the long game...twenty years down the road. We need to build our teens up, discipline them when they need it, and give them the space they so desperately need to grow. The author does a fantastic job of providing real-world examples of how to do just this, without parenting from a place of fear. It's a scary world out there, sure, but if we don't give our teens the chance to grow up at home, they're going to have to do it without any supervision or assistance from us when they leave home.....either that, or live in the basement forever. :(