There are few challenges greater than raising children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord and few challenges for which most Christians feel less equipped. Here are my recommendations of books on parenting.
Top Recommendation
Purposeful and Persistent Parenting by John and Cindy Raquet.
I have often thought that one of the keys to improving your parenting is to find someone who shares some of your parenting philosophies, preferences, and even eccentricities and to deliberately learn from them. And that’s exactly what Purposeful and Persistent Parenting offers. And though my days of parenting little ones are now long past, I still enjoyed this book very much and learned from it. It is rare among parenting books in this way: I would gladly hand to young parents and tell them, “If you generally follow this book and generally hold to these principles, practices, and preferences, you will do just fine.”
Other Recommendations
- Gospel-Powered Parenting by William Farley. While it is by no means the perfect book on parenting, Farley excels at showing how the gospel matters in our parenting.
- Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp – Excellent reading for the parents of young children. Follow it up with Instructing a Child’s Heart.
- Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson – This is one for the mother of young children.
- Everyday Talk by Jay Younts
Special
- Going Public by David and Kelli Pritchard – A must-read for parents of children who are in public schools.
- Get Outta My Face by Rick Horne – It’s for the parents of teens, if the title didn’t tip you off.
I would also point you to my review of Mike & Debi Pearl’s To Train Up a Child (a popular book I do not recommend).
