This weekend I mentioned some parenting resources, and I wanted to follow up by providing a handful of the ones I’ve found most helpful.
(These are really just the tip of the iceberg, though! The Next Gen ministry at the Summit has compiled a phenomenal list of parenting resources, organized around various helpful topics: technology, multiethnic unity, sexuality, foster and adoptive care, special needs, mental health, and more: https://summitchurch.com/family/resources)
Feeding the Mouth that Bites You: A Complete Guide to Parenting Adolescents and Launching them into the World, by Kenneth Wilgus
Parenting teenagers is essentially a planned liberation, whether you or they are ready for it or not. This is one of the most helpful books on parenting teens I’ve ever read, as it understands what God is doing at this stage of a kids’ life. This is not a Christian discipleship book, per se—like Paul David Tripp’s books—though the author is himself a Christian and writes from that perspective.
The Place of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids, by Madeline Levine
This is a good one for parents whose kids grow up with privilege, financial or otherwise. It’s eye-opening and sometimes hard to stop and look at the disadvantages our kids incur when they grow up around money and access. The author shows that one of the greatest DISadvantages our kids can have is privilege. Scary.
Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting, by William P. Farley
The gospel changes everything, and this book helps you to look at your family and children through the lens of the gospel.
The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character, by Jon Tyson
Though some parents may not find Jon’s level of intensity helpful for their child’s development (this book is written by a guy with a certain type of personality for a son with a certain personality), raising a child takes thought and planning and all of us could use more intentionality. Jon helps point the way.
Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus, by Elyse Fitpatrick
This is one of my favorite parenting books. It doesn’t have the most practical tips, but it emphasizes the greatest need in a parents life—and that is to cast themselves on the mercy of God to work in their kids’ lives.
Prayers for your Children: 90 Days of Heartfelt Prayer for Children of any Age, by James Banks
This book provides parents with prayers they can pray for their kids in whatever season of life they are in.
