Review: No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope

Life seems so much more complicated these days than when I was younger. The amount of technology that surrounds us makes a parent really have to work hard to do their job.  When our babies are first born it doesn't seem like it could be harder than taking care of them 24/7. As they grow up there are always new issues that arise that may not seem harder, but are still hard to deal with.  Children go through different seasons as they grow and we have to learn how to adapt our parenting skills as they change.  Great Waters Press has produced a great product that I'm finding helpful as I maneuver these tween years.  No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope is a full of information to help during this stage.  I personally feel that the "tween" stage is one of the harder stages. My kids have struggled in this area because they aren't young children yet, but are quite teenagers. They felt at times they were treated as "babies" as my oldest said, but yet he wasn't mature enough to be treated as a teenager. Thankfully Hal & Melanie Young have given us a product to help guide us through these years! I think many of us parents have wondered what alien took over our child's body as they were going through the tween stages.  One minute they are sweet and loving and the next are crying and running to their room because they were asked to sweep the floor. They are going through huge hormonal changes during this time period and are struggling to find themselves.  More than ever this is the time to focus on communication, show our love for our children and show them the right way to do things. Every parent wants to raise their child to be a solid member of the community that can take care of themselves.  One thing that really jumped out at me was that we as parents have to continually control our own emotions.  It doesn't help us to get emotional when they are already in the middle of their own emotional meltdown.  I also realized that what I often though of was disobedience was all part of the distraction and being absentminded that occurs during these years. It makes moms feel better to realize that they aren't the only one dealing with these issues! In chapter 3 we learn that neurologists say during these years that parts of the brain actually unravel!! There actually is a temporary loss of functions as the neurons are transforming into their adult configurations. Seems like such an amazing process and it truly does validate their behavior.  There is so much discussed in this book, but it's such an easy read.  I was captivated throughout the entire book. The examples that Hal and Melanie give I have seen in my own home.  The fact that they give real life examples that they have dealt with helps the reader feel so much more comfortable that they aren't alone in dealing with these changes.  Hal & Melanie have a chapter for pretty much anything you might be dealing with currently.
1.  Getting Bigger: Hormones and Body Changes 2.  The Rollercoaster: Emotional Upheaval 3.  Brains Turn To Mush: Why School Goes Awry 4.  Many A Conflict, Many A Doubt: Spiritual Questioning 5.  The Awakening: Sexuality and Virtue 6.  Social Struggles: Overcoming Awkwardness 7.  Media, Gaming, and Discernment: More Than Amusement 8.  Conflict At Home: Family Relationships 9.  Transitioning: Youth in the Bible 10.  Celebrating Growth: Coming of Age Ceremonies 11.  Producers, Not Consumers: Work and Stewardship 12.  The Next Big Thing: High School and Beyond

I have struggled over the years about what to do with my children at what ages.  I want them to have a happy childhood and not grow up too soon, but yet I want them to be responsible and capable young adults. I often think about the times of long ago when children were running households at 14. That's not necessarily what I would want for my child, but yet somehow we went from them being more capable at a younger age to being less capable.  Hal & Melanie talk about this transitioning and how they celebrate the coming of age for their children.  I really enjoyed reading about this process because I hadn't really thought of celebrating this coming of age before.  Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality is another book that Great Waters Press has written. This book is geared toward the 12-20 year old children in your lives.  This is the next book that is on my wish list to read! 
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