Betsy's Summer Nonfiction Reads (Weekly Round-up)

Not much reading on the homefront these days. I've been cooking more, working on some heavy duty (and hitherto neglected) cleaning chores, spending some lovely extended evenings with friends, and enjoying play time with the kids. I've also read several interesting nonfiction books this summer--these are slower reads than the middle grades fiction I can whip through, so my "tally" in terms of numbers isn't as high. But since I'm not doing homework this summer (yea!), I've had more brain power to devote to books like these. Here is a snapshot of what I've been reading (in no particular order):

Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne


A GREAT book all the way around as far as encouraging you to reign in commitments, toys, and other cluttering items in your life. While this book is from a secular perspective, I thought it dovetailed nicely with many Christian books I've read on parenting as well. Definitely worth a read--it's nice to have an "expert" be reassuring us we don't have to keep up with the Joneses and have our 4-year-olds competing in soccer, training for a ballet career, or going to extra academic classes to get ahead. It's a good reminder, too, to analyze our house's collection of play equipment, to reevaluate our routines (from food to sleep to general schedule), and to enjoy a little more time with one another.

10 Things Parents Must Teach Their Children by Edith Schaeffer

I've recently reviewed this gem, so I'll do more than to say it's worth reading--whether or not you're a parent!

Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow

This book has been recommended to me several times over the years when various friends of mine have read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I finally picked it up--and am glad I did! Dillow, very biblically, explores many issues surrounding contentment, or the lack thereof. Very convicting, even if you think you don't really struggle with contentment (she covers lots of ground here).

Before the Throne of God by Carol J. Ruvolo

I've been reading this for my women's Bible study at church, and it's pretty good. I have mild quibbles with the writing style here and there (I did, also, with Dillow's book). Overall, though, it's very Biblical, and challenges us to pray using Scripture as our base.

Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter


Explores how parents should (but often do not) feed their children, how to encourage children to eat more variety--particularly vegetables, and things like that. Her big push is the division of labor: parents choose when, what, and how to serve food-wise; children choose how much to eat. Much of this book is devoted to infant and toddler feeding needs/strategies/recommendations. I skipped those chapters. Worth reading for those interested in these sorts of things, but I don't 100% agree with everything (isn't that always the case?! ☺).

French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon



Wow! One of my favorite reads this summer (so far ☺). A Canadian woman married to a Frenchman; they decide to spend a year in Brittany near his family and their children are preschool and kindergarten ages. What follows is an unintended expose of some of the poorer North American habits and attitudes towards food (particularly where children are concerned) and a fascinating comparison to the French attitude. Not rocket science, but very interesting and inspiring--in part because it reminded me of the general attitude toward food in Europe and so much of the rest of the world. Let's not focus so much on health, per se, but on enjoying and savoring our food rather than gobbling down "our money's worth" at an all-you-can-eat-buffet, on anticipating the next meal instead of grabbing a mediocre snack to tide us over, and on the social component of eating together.

An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules for Everyday Foodies by Tyler Cowen


Another interesting, albeit slower, read. If you, like me, enjoy reading and discussing food-related issues (everything from finding a good ethnic restaurant to musing over the seeming tension between locavores and big agribusiness to celebrating BBQ to wondering why the American food scene is the way it is...), then you will no doubt find this book interesting. As a former English teacher, I think this book might be easier to listen to; he may write well for an economist but the paucity of punctuation at times and the general writing style sometimes gets on my nerves ☺.

Parenting with Scripture

Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments
Kara Durbin
Moody Publishers
2012

All in all, this book delivers exactly what it says it will do: presents a handy topical guide for teachable moments, all tied to Scripture! Topics are covered in two pages each. The topic is listed and then followed by several Scripture references (actually, quite a few in some cases), then discussion questions and activities for reinforcement. Parenting tips are also sprinkled throughout as they correspond with a given topic. I appreciate the positive spin on so many topics (i.e. "honesty" and "thankfulness" are covered as well as topics like "complaining" and "anger"). This lets you easily use this book as a devotional guide with your children, covering topics as they arise in the book. Since the topics are listed alphabetically and cross-referenced in the back, it's also an easy book to use "in the moment." (The author makes a point of saying in the introduction that she couldn't find books that used Scripture in this manner; I think that's not quite true. Doorposts has some thorough resources in this vein; Don't Make Me Count to Three, Teach Them Diligently, and Shepherding a Child's Heart are also books in this vein, but they don't provide quite the practical Scripture reference guide.)

I think this book is probably most helpful with older preschoolers and up; very young children won't really "get" the questions (although you can always start memorizing Scripture with them as soon as they can talk!).

Perhaps my biggest "issue" with the book is the absence of grace, or the seeming lack of emphasis on it. Certainly we are to be working out our salvation, striving to obey the Lord, seeking to "put off the old and put on the new." But in all these things, we are more than conquerors...through Christ! We can only do these things in his strength and through his grace. Similarly, I found the explanation of the gospel a little lacking.

That being said, I still think this is eminently helpful resource for Christian parents; I plan to buy the book and will just adapt some of the information to my own Reformed theology. This new edition will be available in stores this month; check it out!

Advance review copy from netgalley; cover image from goodreads.com

10 Ways to Teach and Reinforce Reading

Why do we teach our children to read? So that they can read Scripture! Secondarily, they are then able to participate more fully in Sunday morning worship in general. And, of course, reading opens multiple doors to further education, to better understanding of theology and ideas/philosophy, and offers immense enjoyment.

Are you teaching your children to read? Diligently? This is a time-consuming task, I'll be the first to admit--I'm working with three new readers simultaneously.

"But I'm not homeschooling my children," you might say. "Their teachers are teaching them." (I'm not full-time homeschooling, either.)

I've got news for you: it is YOUR responsibility to make sure your children learn how to read--and to encourage them to read the Word. Even if they're in school all day, there are still multiple opportunities at home in which you can reinforce what they're learning in school and provide opportunities for them to demonstrate and use their new skills.

The Mommy Manual

The Mommy Manual
Barbara Curtis
2005
Revell

This book doesn't get a lot of attention in my particular Christian community, and it should. We spend a lot of time discussing books that help us know how to discipline our children; this book spends more time on the training of some of those heart attitudes.

Barbara Curtis is mom of 12: some biological, some adopted, some special needs.... And she's done it all: public school, private school, home school. She's a former Montessori teacher, and you will see that training come through in this book. She's also a believer and encourages moms SO much in that arena (even discussing how much praying she does in her laundry room--a room where she spends MUCH time).

What I like about this book:

• strategies for inculcating heart attitudes of service, gratitude, and others
• watching for opportunities even with your toddlers for encouraging these heart attitudes
• an emphasis on the potential of your children (a realistic look, but positive nonetheless)
• an honesty about her own background and walk with the Lord
• a realism that doesn't come through in other parenting books
• it's written by a mom--no matter how much I enjoy parenting books by men, they still lack that "mom" voice and reality.
• encouragement!

The bottom line: Curtis will encourage you to seek out ways to encourage the potential in your child's heart, no matter how old that child is. You will come away from this book eager to seek opportunities to build heavenly treasure in and with and for your kids.

The Heart of Anger: Practical Help for the Prevention and Cure of Anger in Children

The Heart of Anger: Practical Help for the Prevention and Cure of Anger in Children
Lou Priolo
Calvery Press
1997

We don't use a rating system on this blog (yet), but if we did, this parenting book would receive my highest rating. I don't know about you, but reading a really great, biblically based parenting book helps me "get back in the fight." I'm not referring to fighting against my children and making them bend to my wishes; no, I'm talking about fighting FOR my children--for their souls, for their training in godliness, for their heart condition. Sometimes this involves conflict between us as parents and our children; it should involve much more, though, and books like Priolo's Heart of Anger cover that "more."

So what makes this particular parenting book so great? There are others out there (and I hope to review some of them, too!). But I really appreciate Priolo's approach and wisdom:

1. Examine YOUR heart first. Are you provoking your children to anger? (even unwittingly)
2. Praise and encourage your child. (in addition to discipline--basically, don't overlook the importance of the positive)
3. The Gumnaizo Principle (train, train, train--practice makes permanent)
4. Call a spade a spade: If it's sin, then label the behavior/attitude/word as sin, not a "phase" or some other nonsense.
5. KNOW YOUR BIBLE and USE it--just reading this book makes you realize how much more you need to read your Bible. 
6. Recognize manipulation in your children--you'd be surprised!
7. Strategies for getting at... you guessed it... the heart of anger.

Priolo does advocate spanking in the right context. I know some parents who don't believe in spanking. But I know others who err too much on the side of spanking and don't sprinkle in enough positive. Priolo seems to balance both. I found his approach unstinting in regard to truth, but gentle and affirming at the same time.

Bottom line: This book will challenge you to examine your own heart, to look for opportunities to discern your child's heart, and to spend more time in the Word.