Leaving the hospital the nurse placed my newborn son in my outstretched arms, “goodbye and good luck”, she cheerfully exclaimed.
Slightly panicked I thought, this is the most important job in my life and we have no instructions!
Like most new parents my husband and I were terrified something would go terribly wrong.
I jumped into action reading books and talking to other parents who had gone before us to learn about this thing called parenting which I felt ill-equipped to handle.
I also read Christian parenting books. Teaching our children how to embrace the love of Jesus was just as important as teaching them how to communicate, walk and talk.
Reading Faith-Based Books and Christian Parenting Books with Your Children
Our desire was to raise children of high character who loved and served God; people we would like to hang out with once they were adults.
Faith is the center of our family so we spent time together reading faith-based books and encouraged our children to read alone.
When my children were young, we would huddle together and read books before bedtime. I loved reading to my kids and cherished this tradition.
One night when my oldest child was ten years old, he looked at me after our nighttime ritual and said, “You know Mom, I know how to read now. I can start reading by myself at night.” Oh my gosh, that was tough to hear!
But read alone he did, and I had to accept that our reading time had one less, cute listener.
Despite age adjustments and changes, reading insightful Christian parenting books continued and began to include online reading and listening to podcasts.
Christian Parenting Books Transform Your Parenting Journey
The challenges, setbacks, changes, and opportunities that have crossed my parenting path have helped me adjust and adapt as a parent.
There are six Christian parenting books that helped transform my parenting journey. I use them as resources and still refer to the knowledge found in these six books.
We have made it through the seasons of babies, toddlers, preteens, and teens and are headed to the stage where our children are independent adults. I am thankful for the wisdom from these six Christian parenting books.
You may not agree with every word of every book but there are helpful insights in each of these books that illuminate ideas and strategies for your parenting journey.
“Point your kids in the right direction, when they’re old they won’t be lost.”
Proverbs 22:6 MSG
Christian Parenting Books to Teach Empathy
Reading Christian Parenting books that teach empathy is a valuable tool to help you understand yourself, your children, and others.
Studying personality types, 20 years ago, I never expected that understanding personalities would transform how I related and communicated with others.
Now discussions around personality traits affect my husband, kids, and anyone else who spends time with us.
The knowledge acquired in these Christian parenting books about personality traits has been extremely helpful for me and my children when dealing with others; family, siblings, friends, and as they got older, romantic relationships.
These Christian Parenting books teach empathy and help you learn about others’ personalities and love languages so you can guide your children to adjust their expectations of people.
Expectations are needed in our lives, but if they are unrealistic, they can lead to perpetual disappointment.
These Christian parenting books guide you in training your kids to adjust how they communicate with people and how to be sensitive to others’ strengths and weaknesses.
All three of these Christian parenting books have greatly impacted our family’s journey. The Treasure Tree is read along with your kids and the other two books are adult reads.
3 Christian Parenting Books About Love
1. The Two Sides of Love: The Secret to Valuing Differences By Gary Smalley & John Trent
“This is the groundbreaking book that introduced the four “animal” personality types (Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, and Beaver) and it will show you how to best demonstrate both sides of love in all your relationships with your spouse, children, and friends.”
2. The Treasure Tree Helping Kids Understand Their Personality By Gary Smalley & John Trent
“This creative story helps children understand different personality types and celebrate others’ strengths. Follow the four best friends–a lion, an otter, a golden retriever, and a beaver–as they search for the golden keys to the Treasure Tree. On their adventure, they discover that their different character traits are some of the most precious treasures they have. Based on the bestselling book, The Two Sides of Love: The Secret to Valuing Differences”
With this valuable tool, your kids will better understand and respect both themselves and others and your family relationships will grow with more kindness, understanding, and patience.”
3. The 5 Love Languages of Children– The Secret of Loving Children Effectively By Dr. Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell, M.D
“Discover your child’s primary love language, then speak it, and you will be well on your way to a stronger relationship with your flourishing child”
The third book, the 5 Love Languages, is another Christian parenting book that teaches empathy by helping us understand how we feel loved.
The 5 love languages are words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, receiving gifts, and physical touch. They are all important languages to speak to your kids. However, all of us have one or two languages that really let us know we are loved.
Reading this Christian parenting book taught me to recognize and understand love languages. For myself (quality time all the way), my husband, and my children. The book has also been helpful in teaching my children their love language.
“Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.”
Romans 12:15 MSG
Christian Parenting Books to Develop Self-Confidence and Responsibility
There are two Christian Parenting books to develop self-confidence and responsibility that offer wisdom and tools.
These books on self-confidence and responsibility help you teach your kids that in relationships each person must take ownership of their own behavior. We must know who we are, what we want, and what we value. From that definition, we can determine what behavior is okay for us.
2 Christian Parenting Books about Responsibility
1. Parenting with Love and Logic
This Christian parenting book shows parents how to raise self-confident, motivated children who are ready for the real world. Learn how to parent effectively while teaching your children responsibility and growing their character.
“Effective parenting centers around love: love that is not permissive, love that doesn’t tolerate disrespect, but also love that is powerful enough to allow kids to make mistakes and permit them to live with the consequences of those mistakes.”
Establish healthy control through easy-to-implement steps without anger, threats, nagging, or power struggles.”
2. Boundaries with Kids: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Children by Henry Cloud & John Townsend.
The second Christian parenting book to develop self-confidence and responsibility teaches how to set age-appropriate boundaries or limits. It can be difficult to communicate and enforce boundaries in most relationships but can be particularly difficult when it’s your own children.
This Christian parenting book helps kids learn to take responsibility for their own actions and teaches parents guidelines for setting healthy boundaries.
-Everyone needs boundaries.
-Operating with boundaries shows you respect and honor other people.
-Living with boundaries is a continuous process that applies to many areas of life.
“Boundaries with kids isn’t about making your child do anything. It is much more about structuring your child’s existence so that he experiences the consequences of his behavior, thus leading him to be more responsible and caring. All of us need to be developing and clarifying our boundaries for life.”
“The help and guidance you need for raising your kids to take responsibility for their actions, attitudes, and emotions. With wisdom and empathy, they take you through the ins and outs of instilling the kind of character in your children that will help them lead balanced, productive, and fulfilling adult lives.”
“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”
Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT
Christian Parenting Books to Teach Your Child about God
There are many powerful Christian parenting books to teach your child about God. But the most important Christian parenting book for teaching your kids about God and how to faithfully follow Him is the greatest book of all time!
The Bible can be read multiple times and transform your thinking and actions every-single-time.
The Bible tells the story of our savior, Jesus, who came to earth to die for each of us. It teaches us about His great love and how to faithfully follow Him.
The Bible tells of thousands of flawed individuals that lived before us and serve as examples of God’s infinite ability to love, forgive, show mercy, and change us.
If there is one best Christian parenting book to choose and share with your kids, it is the Bible. The BIBLE is the book that all other books aspire to be.
Reading the Bible alone and with your children will change your family’s life!
Now that my children are older, I continue to pray for my children to develop their own love of reading the Bible and receiving God’s guidance whether in a book form, online, or on audio.
An excerpt from the late Reverend Billy Graham offers a wonderful explanation of why the Bible is the greatest book ever written:
“Dear Rev. Graham: Can you recommend some self-help books that might help me get my life together? I have a lot of problems I can’t seem to overcome. People tell me just to try harder, but that doesn’t get me anywhere. — C.H.
Dear C.H.: Yes, I’d like to recommend to you the greatest ‘self-help’ book ever written: the Bible! Every other self-help book will only give you the author’s ideas, but the Bible gives you God’s wisdom on how to live. Can you think of anything more important?
What will the Bible tell you? It will tell you first of all that God created you — and he created you for a purpose. What is it? His purpose is for you to know him and live for him, by making him the center and foundation of your life.
When we leave him out of our lives we drift through life without any lasting purpose — but when we know him, our lives are complete. Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10:10).
Finally, the Bible will tell you how to live — not just following a set of rules, but asking God to guide you. Don’t depend on the fallible words of men, but by faith turn to Christ and accept him as your Savior and teacher and guide.”
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalm 119:105
Christian Parenting Books Transform Parents
These Christian parenting books transformed my life too. I read these six books to be a better parent and for my children to grow, but the principles have impacted every area of my life.
Most of our friends are not surprised when someone in our family can identify a personality trait or love language and how it impacts their relationships.
Boundaries are often mentioned since setting limits is a daily skill for individuals and families to navigate relationships.
The Bible continues to be my first choice to read when I am stuck in life. Its unending wisdom, connection with God, and guidance is life giving.
These Christian parenting books will help in your parenting journey and are life-changing.
Have you read a great Christian parenting book? Would love to hear about your resources in the comments.
Author
Mary Rooney Armand
Mary is the creator and writer for the faith-based blog ButterflyLiving.org. Her writing is featured on multiple Christian websites. She is the author of the book, “Identity, Understanding, and Accepting Who I Am in Christ” and Life Changing Stories. a collaboration with 34 authors available on Amazon.
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