I have to say first of all that this isn't a "fast food" type of book. It's more like a full 6 course meal! There's a lot of information to digest, so you shouldn't try to get through it in one quick sitting.

Mark writes a chapter, then Jan writes a chapter, and they continue in that pattern. At the end of each chapter, there are questions for you to ask yourself and your spouse, to get a better idea of what you're currently doing right and wrong in your parenting. Let me tell you, some of the questions are tough. No one likes looking so closely at oneself to see her flaws and failures. But how else can we change for the better if we don't see and accept that something is not working well?

I like how they each have different styles of writing. You can really tell that they both love the Lord so much and they both love their boys fiercely. They don't claim to be perfect parents. Many mistakes were made in their parenting adventure. But the mistakes they made, as well as the successes they had, can help all other parents with their own child-raising.

There's something neat about reading words from the parents of favorites. I have always admired Switchfoot's use of weaving the relevant, the deep and the "cool" all at once. I see now where the guys get it from. :) The book is really well written. I like how they indclude stories of their boys' childhood, and stories of their own lives, in each chapter. The book's like a mix of a parenting help book, a memoir and a devotional. There were so many parts that I had to highlight because they were so good, that I was unable to choose just a few for this review.

I found it neat that a main idea in the book, relationship over behavior, is something that Jerry has been dwelling on. He's working on posts about something he's calling #be2do. You are more important than what you do. What you do is a reflection of who you are. The Foremans touched on this as well, in that what our children do hinges greatly on our relationship with them.

I would suggest that every parent go out and get this book, or download an e-version. There is so much wisdom and love within the pages. I was truly blessed by reading it, and I know my children will be equally blessed because of the change in me. It's one to buy for someone as a baby shower gift. The new parents probably won't realize the relevance at first, but once you read through it, it's pretty obvious that the wise advice is good from birth and beyond.