Book Review: The Messy Life of Parenting

I had the privilege to be quoted in a recent book written by Lori Wildenberg entitled, The Messy Life of Parenting. So, I received an advance copy to preview and review.  So, I finally finished it and would like to recommend it to you.

Why do I recommend this book?

• It's simple premise is that all of us mess up as parents.  Lori is honest to share her struggles and the difficulties she has faced as a parent.  This refreshing focus allows parents to hear the truth from the book without feeling like a failure.
• It reminds us that our children will make mistakes and how we can point them to Jesus and help them navigate their own struggles.  I loved her statement when a child makes a mess literally and metaphorically, "That's OK. Everybody spills. I'll help you clean it up," send the underlying message of grace and truth"
• Lori starts with relationship before rules as evidenced by the opening chapters of the book. She starts with God's love for us and then moves to relationship between parent and child.
• My favorite chapter in the book is Chapter 4 which is titled "Conflict Doesn't Mean Separation" There is so much in this chapter that I needed to hear as well as my family, our church and our culture needs to hear.  She writes, "We accept and love people; we agree and disagree on principles." There is a lot of good advice in this chapter on our posture, forgiveness, dealing with anger, and much more.
• The rest of the book focuses on helping your child understand people, being a leader, selfishness, and that blindspot that each of our children has.
• Since Lori has written so much, she has a ton of great resources in the appendix.

I would encourage you to pick up the book especially if you are a parent who is tired of all the parenting books that seem to focus on parents who have it all together.  Lori is honest and shares her struggles in a way that makes you want to keep reading because you can relate to her.