Having followed the Ericksons on social media, I was very excited about this book. The Christian parenting space is filled with experts who fundamentally believe much of what these authors are saying - all people are created in God's image & thus worthy of respect, parents are responsible to teach their children healthy but firm boundaries. However, this gentler approach is much maligned by conservative Christians. I hope that people give this book a chance. Even if they still walk away disagreeing, they can at least hear out the logic & conclusions.

The Flourishing Family is a Jesus-Centered guide to parenting with peace and purpose. In terms of parenting, I know that I am lacking so many things to my kids. I hope that this book can be a guidance for me to be a better parent.

"[W]hat is our chief goal as Christian parents? For our children to know, trust, and experience God in such a way that their hearts are turned to Him. And heart change? That's the work of grace."*

Wow, there is a lot of wisdom to glean from this book! I appreciated that many of the authors' points were backed by research and/or Scripture. (Kudos to them for acknowledging that wisdom can exist outside of the Bible.) The first quarter of the book, I found myself exhaling a sigh of relief at the thought of relying on God to parent from a place of peace, which sounds really nice, rather than relying on one's own strength to control every aspect of a child's behavior (which is not possible, frankly). It is also wonderful to have a husband and wife writing a book together, vulnerably discussing where they've felt their parenting choices didn't work, and sharing what they've done as parents that they felt did work.

Other aspects I especially appreciated were the distinction between peacekeeping vs. peacemaking, the distinction between natural and logical vs. imposed consequences, and the unpacking of what the Bible does and doesn't say about spanking. One of the best parts of the book is the appendix, which contains many specific strategies to help children who are having a difficult time thinking/behaving appropriately.

I am still skeptical about some aspects of this book, especially as they pertain to toddlers. As the authors acknowledge, very young "children have not yet developed their ability to understand and make moral choices," so some of the authors' strategies in this book just don't seem like they'd work for toddlers. Additionally, the authors are absolutely right to emphasize Jesus' compassion and grace, but Jesus still has high standards for us, and our behavior should reflect our heart. They disagree with the idea "that if we give too much grace, our children will turn into hooligans who don't know the difference between right and wrong" - but as a teacher, I've seen exactly that many times over. Overall, however, this book was well-reasoned and well-balanced. They acknowledge that they are not advocating for permissive parenting - rather, for children who don't just obey, but want to obey, God (and wise parents).

This book is a fantastic resource, especially for parents of slightly older children; there were just a few things that I personally would take with a grain of salt. Overall, I still highly recommend it. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC. These are my honest opinions. I will post this review elsewhere closer to publication.

*Note that some quotes may change by the time of publication