Mom of Many: No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope from Great Waters Press: A TOS Crew Review

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope from Great Waters Press: A TOS Crew Review

No Longer Little by Hal and Melanie Young

No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope from Great Waters Press

Tweens... what are we to do with them? No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope from Great Waters Press is just what you need!

I have been enjoying this 12 chapter book designed for parents of 8 - 14 year olds. I currently have 4 of those creatures living in my house! As well as, 4 that have moved out of this delightful stage of, what the author calls "Gormlessness". This is a term from Middle English meaning a lack of sense, foolishness or stupidity. I love it!

Hal & Melanie Young, the authors, are homeschooling parents of 8 children. They are willing to share their experiences with us, and offer plenty of grace and hope through these sometimes crazy tween years. The book is written in a friendly, conversational tone directly to you as a parent. I love their sense of humor as they offer practical tips to help us thrive.

They begin with explanations of what is happening in the minds and bodies of our tweens. This was like an ah-ha moment! I have seen it over and over again in my own children, but never really connected that many of these behaviors actually had biological beginnings. Our once obedient, diligent, kind child turns into a distracted, disrespectful tween overnight.

Several chapters really spoke to where we are in our family at any given time. The chapter on Spiritual Questioning is one every parent should read! Our tweens need us to not freak out and to answer their questions while pointing them to their ultimate authority and question answerer. God is truly big enough to handle their questioning!

The Awakening chapter deals with the beginning of sexuality. We all dread giving "the talk", but this chapter stresses the importance of our being the voice of influence in our tween's lives. Additionally, they let us know that this is a talk we need to have at younger ages than ever before.

They discuss the importance of monitoring internet in your home. They say " having internet in our homes that isn't protected by blocking or accountability software is like dropping our kids off in the heart of the city and saying, "We'll pick you up later!" Sure, there are museums, colleges, concert halls and churches, but there are also predators, strip joints and gambling dens". This has been a great discussion starter in our house!

One of my favorite chapters was - Celebrating Growth. This chapter offered practical tips on how to celebrate a Bar Charon or Bat Charon - Son of Grace, Daughter of Grace ceremony to officially mark your tween's growth into an adult. Everything you need is included from what type of ceremony to have, how to word the invitations, and who to invite. I can't wait to incorporate this into our family!

The chapter - Producers, Not Consumers is a call to get your tween involved in something meaningful. We want to create producers, not consumers - and tweens are perfectly capable of exceeding our expectations. This has become a new catch phrase in our home!

No Longer Little helps you see a vision for your soon to be teenager. Helpful tips at identifying their gifts, aptitudes and interests can help you get them on the right path for high school. We need to begin with our end in mind.

Over and over as I read this book, I was encouraged to see that this phase of parenting is crucially important. Hal & Melanie offer practical tips and hope, all wrapped up with Scripture along the path to help you enjoy these special years with your child.

A must read for parents!

Other members of the Crew are reading another great book fromGreat Waters Press. Read my review of Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality - here!