Working through the alphabet to cover the library collections I have yet to review, I have now reached the Library of Congress Subclass HQ on Marriage, Family, and Adoption (HV). Last month, I covered our collection of marriage books. Now, I will describe our Family, Elder Care, and Adoption collection.
Often, I found parenting books a bit frustrating because our son wasn’t an “average” child. I decided some recommendations didn’t apply or work because he didn’t read the books! However, these titles might be helpful to others. One book I do recommend, but apparently, we no longer own, is Dr. James Dobson’s Bring Up Boys.
We adopted our daughter at age six from India in 2009, and as part of our training to be adoptive parents, the adoption agency required us to read certain books (a few I got rid of because I disagreed with them). I read several others as well to prepare for this family-altering event.
Family/Parenting
Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind, and Spirit by George Barna
Please see my review of this excellent book on how to raise your children to have a biblical worldview.
Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God by Voddie Baucham Jr.
This book sits in my “to-read” pile. Baucham teaches parents how to train up their teens in a biblical worldview to prevent them from abandoning the faith.
Living with the Active Alert Child: Groundbreaking Strategies for Parents
When our son was only a few weeks old, we had nursing challenges. I visited the lactation consultant, who determined he was getting enough milk. However, she also noted that most one-month-olds couldn’t see the mobile above the examination table, but he was watching it. She said I had an “active alert” child and recommended this book.
Thus began our journey to understand a child whose brain functions differently than the average person’s. Now 26, he loves his job as a bowling mechanic at the local naval base.
My Kids Are My Best Teachers by Bill Butterworth, a Christian humorist.
We own three other titles by this author in our humor collection.
Gifts Your Kids Can’t Break by Steve Chapman, Christian
The Invincible Family: Why the Global Campaign to Crush Motherhood and Fatherhood Can’t Win
This title also sits in my “to-read” pile. The author describes how globalists, feminists, and socialists seek to dismantle the traditional family.
Motivating Your Kids from Crayons to Career
Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World by Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis
Me Parent You Kid by Clint Kelly
I met Clint Kelly at the Northwest Christian Writers Association (NWCA) about a year after he published this book (1993) that records his humorous adventures as a dad. He was the subject of the first author profile column I wrote for the now-defunct Christian Library Journal in the 1990s.
Encouraging Your Child
Written by a homeschool mom who taught children with learning disabilities.
Your Heritage: How to Be Intentional About the Legacy You Leave
Part of Focus on the Family’s Heritage Builder Books series.
Home Court Advantage: Preparing Your Children to Be Winners in Life by Kevin Leman
A Focus on the Family publication.
Saving Childhood: Protecting Our Children from the National Assault on Innocence by Michael Medved
No Ordinary Child: Unlocking the Leader Within Your Child
The author teaches the reader how to raise children for the glory of God.
From Playpen to Podium: How to Help Your Children Develop the Communication Skills They Need to Succeed! by Jeff Myers, now with Summit Ministries, a Christian worldview teaching organization.
Let Us Highly Resolve: Families Living for Christ in the 21st Century
Written to equip one’s children with a biblical worldview.
Raising Respectful Children in a Disrespectful World
The author looks at three parenting styles: parent-centered, child-centered, and character-centered, promoting the last as the best.
What Kids Need Most in a Mom by Patricia H. Rushford
I met Patricia at the Northwest Christian Writers Association in the 1990s.
Celebration of Children by Edith Schaeffer
Created for Work: Practical Insights for Young Men
This book discusses the value of work from the biblical worldview and how to train boys to be working men.
Parenting for the Launch: Raising Teens to Succeed in the Real World
Academy Northwest provided high school students access to a career assessment service, which gave us this book. However, I never got around to reading it.
Loving Our Kids on Purpose: Making a Heart-to-Heart Connection
Where Roots Grow Deep: Stories of Family, Love, and Legacy
Heartwarming stories about a family in Oregon.
Creative Correction: Extraordinary Ideas for Everyday Disciple
This Focus on the Family book offered some creative ways to discipline children, many of which I tried.
God’s Design for Sex Series
We picked up this set of books at a Family Life Weekend to Remember Conference. I read books 1 and 2 to the kids, but they didn’t read the teen books. Instead, they covered similar material in Carrie Abbott’s Biblical Blueprints for Sexual Integrity at Academy Northwest.
How and When to Tell Your Kids About Sex: A Lifelong Approach to Shaping Your Child’s Sexual Character (for parents)
What’s the Big Deal?: Why God Cares About Sex: Book 3
Facing the Facts: The Truth About Sex and You: Book 4
Special Needs
The Loving Push: How Parents and Professionals Can Help Spectrum Kids Become Successful Adults by Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Adult children on the autism spectrum require some pushing to get them out of the nest. We’re still helping out ours. Grandin’s book, Thinking in Pictures, also gave me insight into how our son’s mind works.
Elder Care
Caring for Your Elderly Parents: Help, Hope, and Cope Book by Patricia Rushford
Precious Days and Practical Love: Caring for Your Aging Parent
Adoption
Children Titles
Is That Your Sister?: A True Story of Adoption
A picture book about interracial adoption.
Forever Fingerprints: An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children
A picture book that helps adoptive children ages 5-11 learn about their birth parents.
Shaoey and Dot: Bug Meets Bundle
Written by the wife of Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman, this picture book tells the story of a Chinese baby being adopted by Americans.
The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale
Welcome Home, Forever Child: A Celebration of Children Adopted as Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Beyond
Written for children ages 2-8 to help older adopted children understand adoption.
Adult Level
Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections
As the title says, this book serves as a toolbox, a reference work to look up questions about adoption. Recommended.
Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today’s Parents by Deborah D. Gray
At the time we were in the adoption process, from December 2006 to December 2009, Dr. Gray was the top expert in attachment disorders. When people ask about adoption resources, this is the first book we recommend. Without proper attachment, a child cannot form any healthy relational bonds.
Saving Levi: Left to Die...Destined to Live
A Focus on the Family biography about a Chinese adoption.
Handbook on Thriving as an Adoptive Family: Real-Life Solutions to Common Challenges
A Focus on the Family publication that contains essays by different authors on various topics relating to adoption.
Our Own: Adopting and Parenting the Older Child
This book covers topics from deciding to adopt, the adoption process, and various issues that adoptive families encounter.
Adoption Through the Rearview Mirror: Learning from Stories of Heartache and Hope
This book by a former missionary to Ukrainian orphans and orphanage graduates, Karen Springs, is a much-needed addition to adoption literature. Most adoption stories describe the wait and the happy homecoming. Few address the difficult and heartbreaking experiences some adoptive families deal with.
Karen had assisted several families in adopting older children through the Ukrainian orphanage system, which doesn’t work with adoption agencies. After returning to the US, she traveled around the country to follow up on many of these families and discovered that many experienced rough adjustments. This book tells those stories. It is a worthwhile read and a reminder that one must enter adoption, especially international, older child adoption, with their eyes wide open.
Real Parents, Real Children: Parenting the Adopted Child
Lifebooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child
This title teaches you how to create a scrapbook to save your adopted child’s family history.
Before You Were Mine: Discovering Your Adopted Child’s Lifestory
This book guides the reader on how to capture your adoptive child’s birth family and early childhood history.
Sherrie Elridge
Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew
Questions Adoptees Are Asking: About Beginnings, About Birth Family, About Searching, About Finding Peace
Sherrie Elridge is an adoptee herself and interviewed several others to write these books. Quite insightful. From the Christian point of view.
Michelle Gardner
Adoption as a Ministry, Adoption as a Blessing
After the Dream Comes True
From the Christian point of view.
Lois Ruskai Melina
Raising Adopted Children: Practical Reassuring Advice for Every Adoptive Parent
Making Sense of Adoption: A Parent’s Guide
Parenting is tough. Having a special needs child, even one with mild conditions, and a child through adoption made parenting even more challenging. But drawing from other’s experiences, especially if they add some humor along the way and point you to Jesus to keep on your knees, can restore and refresh an exhausted parent.