88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates by Rob & Joanna Teigen

Your children are only young for a short period of time. As parents, you have the greatest influence on your children from the very youngest of ages. Why not maximize that impact by being there to make great memories with your children and teach them important lessons along the way.

Each date lists the things needed, many of which are things that are likely already in the house, or easy to find. Some do cost money and/or require going out somewhere such as getting ice cream, going bowling, or working at a food pantry/soup kitchen. Secondly, all the dates give you an idea of what to do, helpful ideas, and reminders to encourage your daughter during the activity. Then there is a section entitled, “Grow” in which you sit down with your daughter to talk about what you did, and share some godly wisdom with her. Some of the lessons are more serious than others, such as explaining why you have rules to protect her, while others are just a time to encourage your daughter and have some fun.

This is a great gift for any father who wants to connect with his daughter. Often times, its not the desire that is lacking, but the ideas. And this book gives dads 88 different ideas to do. Some of these will be treasured memories for dads and their daughters and may even become family traditions. While the book is meant for fathers and their daughters ages 6-12, I could easily see dad’s starting some activities at a much younger age and continuing long after they are out of the house.

I received this book free from Revel for the purpose of this review.

Married Mom, Solo Parent by Carla Anne Corey

Not every woman goes into marriage expecting to raise their children on their own, even though they are married. This is what Carla Anne Corey means by the term married mom, solo parent. While some women go into marriage, knowing that their husband’s job will take them away from the home more than just a 9-5 job would. Some men’s jobs keep them on the road much of the time, others are in the military and are going for long deployments. Regardless of how they got to the point of being a married mom, solo parent, these women are so now. It is a role that is much different than being a married mom with both parents actively involved, and a single parent. Solo parents don’t fit in the same molds as other married couples or single parents. They face unique challenges and many churches don’t know how to help solo parents like they do single or married parents. This book covers the area of emotions, discipline, community, chores, and more.

I chose this book not because I’m married and a solo parent. In fact, the opposite is true. I am single and have no kids. However, i am a marriage counselor with Prepare-Enrich and I want to have an understanding of the married mom, solo parent and a resource to help them. But at the same time, this book challenged me in ways I didn’t expect it to. This book challenged me to look at how I was raised and how I want to raise my own children someday. It challenged me to put together a list of my own commitments, some of which I can start working on developing now.