Monday, April 28, 2014

Parenting Books

Samantha Bell interviewed me for a parenting blog hop about the books that helped me become a better parent so here are my picks! As you can see, I also took a trip down memory lane.
 
There are so many books that have helped me become a better parent, so it’s hard to choose just one.

When our children were little, we read a lot of books together. One of our favorite series were the OLIVER AND AMANDA PIG books written by Jean van Leeuwen and illustrated by Anna Schweninger. The stories mirrored our life together, cooking, cleaning, gardening, playing, and resolving conflicts. I learned so much from Mama Pig! When I accidentally stepped on a toy car in the kitchen and landed on my backside, I remembered how Mama Pig controlled her anger when she slipped on the wet bathroom floor. She joined in the soapy fun. Later, they all mopped and dried off the floor. Likewise, after a good laugh, we all picked up the toys.
Over and over, the depictions of simple family life reinforced my desire for simplicity and the value of cherishing all the small moments. I learned from Mama Pig to be patient as we baked bread together, flour dusting the entire kitchen. I learned to spend time throwing rocks in the pond for the fun of hearing the plop and watching the ripples. I learned to hug harder and more frequently. Mama Pig *showed* me how to be a mother who was firm, yet gentle, hard-working, yet fun, in control, without being overbearing.

As the children grew and parenting became more challenging, we turned to Christ. The Bible has many passages on raising Godly children. The books we have found most helpful in this regard are BE A MAN! by Fr. Larry Richards and ADVICE FOR SUCCESSFUL FAMILIES by Fr. Alain Dalagneau. We have read and discussed these books with our teenaged children and I am thankful they are growing up to know, to love, and to serve God.



 

8 comments:

Leandra Wallace said...

I had forgotten about Amanda and Oliver until you mentioned them. Another great series from my childhood to put on my list for the kidlet! Being a parent is the hardest and best thing I've done in my life. I know I need to work on patience more tho- he's testing me w/the terrible twos! =)

Faith E. Hough said...

I love this! I've determined so much about the mother I want to be from the fiction I've read. But I haven't read Amanda and Oliver! Luckily I've already planned a library trip for today. :)

Mirka Breen said...

You reminded me of the day DH bought me a stack of parenting books he found in the remainder pile of the local bookstore. My oldest child, then eighteen months, was yet to have a sibling. One of the books said that no one, that is NO ONE,should ever be left alone with an eighteen-month-old for more than two hours, because they are so active...
When I quoted the book to my husband, he said, "they don't know anything..."
But some books are helpful. Thank you for sharing your (always intelligent & thoughtful) recommendations.

Bish Denham said...

My mother told us a story about a neighbor lady who said, "EC, whenever I come over here I find you on the floor playing with your kids."

Seems like the object of having kids is to enjoy them. And when you do, it makes raising them easier.

Vijaya said...

Leandra, I couldn't agree more about parenting being the hardest and the bestest. I'm still working on patience :)

Faith, you will love the Amanda and Oliver pig books and so will your girls. Mama Pig is a hero to me.

Mirka, who are these people that write these parenting books? It's true that my kids exhausted me at times, esp. when their favorite word was NO.

Bish, I love the stories about your mother. Yes, I am thankful to have stayed home with my kiddos. All those early stories in magazines are our life, only we are depicted as bunnies or camels.

Marcia said...

I love that your parenting books are kids' books! This is an idea that should have more exposure.

Vijaya said...

Grin. I have so many parents I admire in books.

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