Let me emphasize that again. I wish this book was written when I was raising my children. The chapters are conversational. I felt like Mrs. Mancini was sitting there encouraging me as a young parent. Encouraging is the right word here. She isn’t high-minded or judgemental but rather takes us through useful information every parent can use.  She incorporates scripture with each recommendation, so it’s not her that speaks, but God’s Word. Each chapter builds on the previous with good instruction beginning with building a spiritual foundation for our children, then taking instruction through the years. 

I like the way each chapter is broken down into small bites. As a busy parent, I needed small bites of information between diaper changes and fixing a meal. These are meaty small bites such as Praying Over Our Children (even while they are still in the womb), The Ten Commandments (memorizing by living them out before our children), and Tell the Next Generation (instilling allegiance to God like we show allegiance to our sports teams – go all out). 

Some of the chapters address character development and building a strong Christian foundation. She offers practical methods for connecting children to Jesus and cultivating trust in God. One of my favorite chapters is Helping Shape a Godly Worldview. For me, that was always a hard concept but Mrs. Mancini breaks it down so it’s a natural process of everyday life. 

I often hear people say “Kids are mean.” Mancini has a chapter that helps us instill virtues in our children. She helps parents see that virtues are caught, not taught. There’s also a chapter on the fruits of the Spirit. Every chapter is built on the idea that we must demonstrate, not tell our children how to live godly lives.

At the end of the book is chapter by chapter questions. I love this because I can reflect on what I’ve read and if I have a question about how she recommends handling something I can easily find the chapter. 

Mrs. Mancini’s conclusion is “Raising kids to be followers of Christ is all about the salvation of our children.” We want to know that one day we will sit down in heaven and our children will be sitting across the table from us. 

Praying to be a godly example for our children. Gail Cartee

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