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Rating: 
Summary: It made me smile, It made me say, "Oh Yes, this is true."
Review: Many books about religion and children sound like they're writtrn by monks or mother's with too much time on their hands. Now I have great respect for the religious men and women who have graced my own life but their expertize is not in raising children. On the other hand mothers know a lot about raising children, but if one has the luxury of writing a book while in the midst of parenting, perhaps that family is not too typical. As a mother of four I never had much discretionary time. My husband and I took our faith seriously and tried our best to share it with our children but it is only in hindsight that I recognize the truth and wisdom that Tom McGrath has taken the time to put on paper so that those of us too busy doing it, can also be intentional about sharing with our dear ones that faith which is so dear to us. Add to that the bonus that McGrath writes with such a refreshing and non-pietisic style that it makes faith come alive and reminds us of our deepest beliefs. All this would be fine but irrelevant if it just added more time consuming practices to a parent's already busy life. Then we'd have to add guilt and feelings of inadequacy to our list of parenting failures. But McGrath lets us in to the realm of faith sharing gently. He shows us how it's not just about going to church and saying memorized prayers but it's also about how we take the ordinary times and people in our lives and recognize their holiness. It doesn't necessarily take more time, it just takes awareness. I especially liked the story of how children pick up faith not only from their parents but are helped, sometimes invisibly, by other relatives and friends that surround our families. For example, he tells of how, as a child, an older relative patiently explained to him the stories behind the holy cards that fell out of her prayer book. It put flesh on the sometimes vague concept of the "communion of saints". Raising Faith-Filled Kids goes on to offer numerous other prompts that remind us of how God works through every day family life. It's nice to have a book that invites, gives creative ideas, and encourages but doesn't preach. It's also nice that it was written by a father - not that he had much time either.
Rating:
Summary: It made me smile, It made me say, "Oh Yes, this is true."
Review: Many books about religion and children sound like they're writtrn by monks or mother's with too much time on their hands. Now I have great respect for the religious men and women who have graced my own life but their expertize is not in raising children. On the other hand mothers know a lot about raising children, but if one has the luxury of writing a book while in the midst of parenting, perhaps that family is not too typical. As a mother of four I never had much discretionary time. My husband and I took our faith seriously and tried our best to share it with our children but it is only in hindsight that I recognize the truth and wisdom that Tom McGrath has taken the time to put on paper so that those of us too busy doing it, can also be intentional about sharing with our dear ones that faith which is so dear to us. Add to that the bonus that McGrath writes with such a refreshing and non-pietisic style that it makes faith come alive and reminds us of our deepest beliefs. All this would be fine but irrelevant if it just added more time consuming practices to a parent's already busy life. Then we'd have to add guilt and feelings of inadequacy to our list of parenting failures. But McGrath lets us in to the realm of faith sharing gently. He shows us how it's not just about going to church and saying memorized prayers but it's also about how we take the ordinary times and people in our lives and recognize their holiness. It doesn't necessarily take more time, it just takes awareness. I especially liked the story of how children pick up faith not only from their parents but are helped, sometimes invisibly, by other relatives and friends that surround our families. For example, he tells of how, as a child, an older relative patiently explained to him the stories behind the holy cards that fell out of her prayer book. It put flesh on the sometimes vague concept of the "communion of saints". Raising Faith-Filled Kids goes on to offer numerous other prompts that remind us of how God works through every day family life. It's nice to have a book that invites, gives creative ideas, and encourages but doesn't preach. It's also nice that it was written by a father - not that he had much time either.
Rating:
Summary: Worthy Family Reading
Review: Mr. McGrath does an excellent job giving parents useful advice in an area not often covered in our culture. Tone is conversational, friendly and comfortable. This book will help you to relate to your children better.
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