Reviewed by: Dr. Jan Reber, wife, mom, writer, and Taylor University professor

Introduction

Title: Rebellious Parenting: Daring to Break the Rules So Your Child Can Thrive

Author: Carrie Blackaby and Richard Blackaby

Publisher: Elevate Faith

Publication Date: 2016

Format: Paperback

Length: 383 pages

OVERVIEW

As a mother and repeat book reviewer, I’ve read more than a couple of parenting books. Rebellious Parenting by Carrie and Richard Blackaby isnot your ordinary parenting textbook. It is much more.

Using a tag-team format, father and daughter take turns discussing each topic from each one’s unique perspective, telling real-life stories from their own lives. According to the Blackabys, the goal of parenting is not simply to teach children wrong from right, but to teach them to want to do right.   A quote from page 200 serves as a great example of the theme of the book: “It’s not enough to teach your children to say nice things. You want them to develop into thoughtful people who do nice things.”

The book chapters cover the usual parenting topics, but the content is as engaging as the chapter titles: Land of the Free, Home of the Clones and Well-Mannered Little Monsters are just two of more than twelve well-written, engaging and informative chapters.

One thread running through the book is that we should guard against a parenting style based on lists of rigid rules. Christ came to give us abundant life! If we fail to show our children the joy of living in Christ, of cherishing the relationship we have with Him, being a Christian can seem, to our children, more like a burden than a gift.

I highly recommend this book.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

5 stars

Suggested Audience

Parents with children of any age, as well as grandparents and prospective parents. Also, a good resource for church children’s ministers and youth leaders.

Christian Impact

Helping today’s parents rear kids who love God and want to know Jesus.

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