Christian Parenting: Raising Children in the Real World

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

“God is not about punishment, but about giving us freedom of choice
which inevitably leads to suffering some consequences for our
actions,” say Sinclair and Stewart early in their book. Such an
interpretation of God informs the authors’ philosophy of parenting and
is reflected in the six chapters written alternately by the two women.
Each chapter reflects areas in which the authors themselves were
challenged as parents: “living simply when society values people for
what they have; coping with the race to be a winner at all costs;
treating sexuality as a God-given gift; facing up to conflict and loving
our enemies; trusting that God is with us in crises and finally, being
different by being involved in the church.”

The book is written from the United Church point of view, which is to
say that those of other religious persuasions may not agree with all the
advice—the acceptance of homosexuality, for example. On the other
hand, with the emphasis on consequences, there is much in the book that
will resonate positively with many parents already exposed to the books
on Systematic Training for Effective Parenting by Don Dinkmeyer and Gary
McKay.