Resources

Over the years we've had many people ask us for recommendations on resources that we've found helpful on our parenting journey. There is bit of hesitancy that I have about giving recommendations for parenting. The main concern I have is that people will embrace the book, teaching, or system without having carefully studied and thought out their own philosophy based on God's Word. 

There is no area in which people so readily dismiss the teachings of Scripture as they do on the training of children. And anytime we dismiss any of the teachings of Scripture, God has this world set up in such a way that things begin to unravel. No amount of reading, seminars, or helps can replace the careful study, prayerful consideration, and the application of God's blueprint already revealed in God's Word. 

When I  have a working knowledge of what God's commands and requirements are in the area of parenting, then I'm able to read and either accept or reject the ideas presented in any resource based on a Biblical philosophy of parenting. 

Every family is different too in their emphasis on what they believe is important, the goals that they have for their children, and all the cultural differences present in every family. So the following is a list that we have found helpful for OUR family. We've done so much reading on this subject over the past 11 years but not all of what we read were we able to use. This was either due to content or it just didn't fit our family mission. So below is what we've used and found helpful for us. Again, our starting point is based on a philosophy of what God teaches in these areas - not Dr. Dobson, or Dr. Sears, or any other human. All resources are held up to the scrutiny of Scripture - the good is gleaned - and the rest is discarded. 

As our family grows and develops we'll try to keep this list updated. 

Family Discipleship 

• Discipleship in the Home - by John Friedeman
• Hands down the best book we have found on implementing Deut. 6 in our home. 
• Our Twenty-four Family Ways - by Clay Clarkson
• Shepherding a Child's Heart - by Tedd Tripp
• We attempted to read the book but found it very hard. His DVD lectures however are excellent. If you want to see some other helpful information from Tedd Tripp you can find some material here. 
• The catechism we used can be found here. 
• The Picture Bible 
• Learning Scripture by singing. 

Pre-baby Reading

• My First 300 Babies - by Gladys West Hendrix
• When you've cared for over 300 brand new babies as a living - you learn some things.
• On Becoming Babywise - by Gary Ezzo

Character Reinforcement

• Patch the Pirate Adventures - by Ron Hamilton
• A theme that is woven together with a story and character building songs. 
• Lamplighter Theatre Audio Books
• These radio dramas are unrivled for quality and content. They are however very expensive. Watch for their once a year sale that usually lasts for 2-3 days that makes them more affordable.