Blending personal experience and practical advice with wisdom they’ve learned from Ignatian spirituality, Tim and Sue Muldoon, authors of Six Sacred Rules for Families, offer guidance for Catholic parents raising teens and tweens. You’ll gain confidence to help your teen make better decisions, deepen the roots for your parenting, and relate to your teen in a way that reflects the tenacious love of God. The Muldoons draw from their professional experience working with teens and their parents in high schools and colleges—Sue as a counselor and religious educator, Tim as a theologian and professor—to explain how the Ignatian practice of discernment is an excellent tool for the healthy parenting of teens and pre-teens. They share their hard-won wisdom as parents of three to offer you encouragement and practical guidance to: Let your teens know you love them Appreciate their gifts while accepting their limits Put them in touch with those less fortunate Guide them in choosing friends who will care about what’s best for them Appreciate the value of their faith and going to Mass Respect their bodies and make good choices about sex, alcohol, and drugs Think about what really makes them happy Tim and Sue describe discernment as slowing down, listening, being receptive, praying, examining our lives, and sifting the conflicting forces at play around us. In this wise and personal book, they share how Ignatian spirituality and discernment can help us keep a clear-eyed, prayerful perspective on the difficult decisions you and your teens face. The key is to open yourself to God’s presence and discover what he calls you to do. This thoughtful approach shows you how to talk with your children openly about freedom vs. limits, friendships, family time, sexuality, the use and abuse of technology, faith and Catholic practice, recognizing the needs of others, and getting through hard times together. You’ll discover when to be tough and when to be forgiving, when to control and when to give freedom, when to give feedback and when to wait. You will learn the importance of praying for your teens, and the important of praying together as a family. Daily and weekly prayers, devotions, and meditations will guide you as the Muldoons show how this is a time of discernment for you as well as your teens—and create a way for you to move through these challenging years together. The Discerning Parent offers you an opportunity to pause and consider your life and your teen’s in the light of faith.

Integrating the wisdom of Christian tradition and psychological findings on effective decision-making, this book presents a view of Christian discernment that honors the body-spirit unity of the person and the broad and mysterious ways we can be led by the spirit of God in our life-choices. Going beyond discernment skills and concrete practices, this book presents a coherent theoretical understanding of discernment that grounds the many spiritual practices used by Christians today. By providing a broad and inclusive understanding of the multiple ways God can provide guidance to individuals, this book helps individuals to honor the unique and idiosyncratic way that they receive divine guidance, as well as provides guidelines that guard against possible self-deception and personal blind-spots. While including anecdotal accounts and practical elements of Christian discernment, this book provides a conceptual understanding of discernment that will be helpful for those training to be professional ministers, pastors, priests, religious counselors, and spiritual directors. It is unique in applying Christian tradition and contemporary psychological insights to the process of discernment. +

Books on parenting abound, with many suggesting that specific strategies will produce desired results. Gifted theologian Holly Taylor Coolman offers something different: a theologically and biblically rich commentary on the theme of raising children. As a mother of five who is known for approaching parenting in a theological way, Coolman is often asked for advice. In this book, she explores parenting as a complex and beautiful vocation in which mothers and fathers themselves are made and unmade, offered troubling sorts of gifts, and drawn deeper into connection not only with their children but also with God, others, and themselves. Coolman describes child-rearing as a vocation to which parents are called that requires them to develop the skills of apprenticeship and invitation. She also locates raising children firmly within the context of the church. This book will appeal to Christian parents, especially adoptive and foster parents, as well as pastors, church leaders, and students.

The bestselling author of Confronting Jezebel offers a blueprint for discerning and defeating the passive spirit of Ahab--the counterpart to the toxic Jezebel spirit.

Darryl Bodkin has written a wonderful treatise on child development and leadership. He writes from a childs perspective on parenting and provides invaluable insight on the subject of leadership growth and development. When I was 11 years of age, my life was torn apart by the loss of my father in a tragic construction accident. It was a defining moment for me. Fortunately, my godly grandmother sat down with me and told me that I had to be the leader in our home since I was the oldest child. From that moment leadership was thrust upon me. Reading this book has caused me to reflect on that landmark day in my own childhood when I started on a leadership journey. I commend Darryl Bodkins book to you for your enjoyment and personal growth. I believe every parent who reads it will benefit from the lessons taught on parenting and will gain an understanding of how to encourage the development of leadership qualities in children. Proverbs 3:56 is a sterling reminder of the potential for vital Christian leadership within every child that is born into Gods big world. Dr. Stan A. Toler Bestselling Author Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

With the baby boom generation came the genre of parenting books that told parents how to teach their kids everything from toilet training to developing self-esteem. Generally the message has been: go easy on your child, but hard on yourself. It is starting to become apparent, especially in the best of families, that giving your kids lots of choices, validating their feelings at great peril to your own and providing "enough" individual attention for each child is creating a generation of kids over whom we have no control. Cassidy argues that this comes from over-thinking our role as parents. We've pondered every step so much that the juice, the joy, and worst of all, our confidence is gone. The reasons are clear: We have fewer children later in life so we've had more time to ponder. We've grown up just as research on infant and child development has come of age, so there's no shortage of material to think about. As a generation we've prided ourselves on self-improvement and we bring the same zeal to child improvement. We're less likely to live close to our families, and so are more likely to seek out expert solutions. To counter this thinking, Cassidy will suggest keeping the big picture in mind--what kind of people do you really want your kids to be? Honest, kind, cooperative, empathetic? It may mean losing sight of whether enough play dates are scheduled for the week and if you've positively reinforced the latest creative endeavor, but it will bring back your instincts about what is important to your family as a whole, and to your kids to become decent people.

Devoted to God and each other Spend each day growing in the Word of God and drawing closer as a couple with the practical counsel of #1 New York Times bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman. Gary Chapman's readers call his teaching relevant, helpful, simple, and effective—and he brings this style to The Love Languages Devotional Bible. As you read through Scripture together, you will enjoy brief devotional readings that apply the text to your relationship, and you'll deepen your understanding of God and each other. Research has shown that couples who read their Bibles and pray together enjoy a much healthier relationship. This Bible makes reading God's Word and praying as a couple enjoyable and rewarding. It even covers special topics, like communication, expectations, roles, sex, conflict, money, children, and more. Key features include: New Living Translation, clear and elegant, ideal for reading aloud Scripture reading plan, making it easy to read through the entire Bible in a year 260 daily devotions, one for each weekday 52 feature articles, one for each weekend Prayer guides, reducing awkwardness by providing specific cues Select readings addressing a wide variety of couple-oriented topics Bible book introductions providing context and essential background information

Most children handlers are not aware that they are planting the seeds of latter years in children at the toddler stage. Hence, it’s the kind of seed sown that determines the fruit that manifests. This concisely explains the reason while some children thrive seamlessly while others go through a lot of chaos and struggle at developmental stages. The need for appropriate methods can therefore not be overemphasized as usage of the yesteryears approach is bound to fail. Here is a preview of what you'll learn... • Understanding toddlers • How to discipline in a positive way • How to correct bad behaviour • Parenting methods to avoid • Methods to incorporate discipline • And much more! Master positive discipline techniques, set effective boundaries, and manage those epic meltdowns like a pro. Unlock the secrets of toddler communication and discover the transformative power of play. Whether you're tackling picky eating, sleep struggles, or socializing your little one. This guide offers real-life scenarios and practical tips to help you through every challenge.

In this book, Blustein presents the first study of an ethics of care, offering a detailed exploration of human "care" in its various guises: concern for and commitment to individuals, ideals, and causes. Blustein focuses on the nature and value of personal integrity and intimacy, and on the questions they raise for traditional moral theory. Among the topics considered are: what is the nature of caring as such? what do we (and should we) care about? what is implied by the claim that caring supports a sense of the meaningfulness of our lives? how does caring benefit the one who cares and what is the good of care? how do we care about caring? Clearly and accessibly written, this book takes a fresh look at the issues surrounding personal values and relationships.

Instead of tuning in to Super Nanny or Nanny 911, pick up this humorous yet biblically-solid book of parenting advice. Kendra Smiley, author of High Wire Mom and Aaron's Way, once again hits on a subject that moms and dads are longing to hear: how can I be a better parent and raise great and godly children? With wisdom gleaned both as parent and teacher, Kendra suggests seven proactive choices parents can make to help reduce family stress and avoid parenting emergencies. Each chapter ends with a dash of advice from her husband, John, who offers a dad's point of view. Whether exhausted and struggling or just longing to improve their skills, Be the Parent is the perfect resource for moms and dads seeking to positively impact their children. Includes survey responses from real parents.