Tying Their Shoes: A Christ-Centered Approach to Preparing for Parenting

This book has been such a pleasure to read as I await the birth of my first child. It has given me insight, peace, and understanding as it pushed me to God and his word. Which is the bases of not only parenting, but marriage and everyday life. Very thankful that my identity isn’t found in being a husband, provider, or father. But my identity is in Jesus Christ. This book hammers this concept and is such an encouragement in that regard.

Great for new parents. This book helped guide conversations with my spouse regarding first time parenting before our first born entered the world.

This book is aimed at first time parents, but it is also beneficial for parents who are expecting more kids. It summarized a lot of feelings I’ve had over the past year and best practices. It gives practical “homework” and topics that spouses should converse about before their baby is born. Most importantly it focuses on how the gospel impacts every area of life, and that it changes everything. Would recommend for first time parents!

We’re half way through this book and really enjoying it! It covers broad parenting philosophies, so it’s great for any stage of parenting.

This will be my new baby shower gift for everyone I know. As a mother of 3 I related to so much of what was shared in this book. I love that the authors were so vulnerable and willing to share the mistakes that they made and also what they have found that has helped them. I wish I had read it before having kids so that I could process through this stage of life with the Biblical perspective that this book brings. This book will be such a blessing to new parents.

Tying Their Shoes is just want it mentioned. The authors strive to share a christ center approach to parenting and might I add not forgetting your spouse. In addition to the true parenting advice you may be searching for; they discuss keeping your marriage healthy, the dad's involvement and 'me time'. You both need God honored rest; don't feel guilty about that. The mentor section in the back is a helpful addition.

Have you ever heard a parent comment on how they were unsure how to approach parenting? They are then inundated with tons of well-meant information that is not very practical. Think here about the “sleep when the baby sleeps” type of advice. The idea is great but in reality, it just doesn’t work that way. At least it didn’t for me. Tying Their Shoes is different. It is a thoughtful, Christ-centered approach to parenting as a whole, knowing that parenting is the greatest of all stewardship opportunities God gives. Realizing that children are images of the living God should influence each aspect of parenting. The full title of this book is Tying Their Shoes: A Christ-Centered Approach to Preparing for Parenting. It is written by Rob and Stephanie Green, who have three children of their own. The introduction is just that – introducing the reader to the Greens and their family and introducing what they are trying to accomplish with this book for parents. They recognize that the world is completely different when a child enters the family. “In fact, it is earthshaking. Two people who are used to caring for themselves bring home a little baby who requires constant care. . . It is a joyful, terrifying, exciting, and intimidating experience.” Recognizing how God grace is going to help them through each moment is what most parents struggle with the most and that is the hope of this book – to see how God walks with parents through their parenting little souls. First up – know your identity. Knowing who you are and how all the relationships you are part of work together can make adding a child to the mix easier. But not everyone knows this. Identity is how we think about ourselves and so it is important for this to be solid. Where is your identity found? The answer should be in Christ. This chapter helps strengthen that understanding if you have it already and if it is one you struggle with, there are Bible verses to help you understand God’s love for you and His place in your life. Next the reader is brought through a chapter designed to help you prioritize your marriage. Without this priority in place, the child can easily use up a lot of your time, leaving you disconnected with your spouse. This makes everything harder. This chapter helps you put your marriage in the place it belongs and keep God at the center of it. Tying Their Shoes Additional chapters help you see God through in the difficulties of each step in parenting. The chapters include: The Lord is My Shepherd – Labor and Delivery Be Prepared to go Home Accomplish the Goal in Parenting Work Together – Not Against Each Other Stewardship of Sleep, Money, and the Heart The Blessings of Parenting Dad’s Involvement All I Want Is “Me Time” Sexual Intimacy as a New Parent Learning to Teach and Discipline Cast Your Cares on God The advice that comes through each of these chapters is practical, honest, and centered on God. Not everything in the book is something that will resonate with every reader. But there is much good. So take the things that will help you and don’t worry about the rest. While the Greens try hard to focus on what God has told us in the Bible with their advice, this is not God’s word and we don’t need to treat it as such. So, take what you can use and move on. Don’t worry about the rest. It may come in handy at a later date and it may not. But I found there to be much good advice in here. If you are looking for a Christ-centered parenting book that is not the same old, same old, this is it. Take a good look at Tying Their Shoes by Rob and Stephanie Green.

Tying Their Shoes is just want it mentioned. The authors strive to share a christ center approach to parenting and might I add not forgetting your spouse. In addition to the true parenting advice you may be searching for; they discuss keeping your marriage healthy, the dad's involvement and 'me time'. You both need God honored rest; don't feel guilty about that. The mentor section in the back is a helpful addition.

Welcoming in a new child to a family is a life-changing event that is fraught with a whole range of emotions — excitement, fear, anxiety, and thankfulness, just to name a few. As new parents expecting your first child (or even your second or third child), what are you to expect? What changes should you be prepared for? How will this new addition to your family change the dynamics of your marriage and your home life? How will you keep everything balanced? All of these are important questions. Then you have a whole host of practical considerations — epidural or not, MD or midwife, hospital or home, nursing or bottle. And of course, ask ten different people and you’re bound to get ten different opinions. It can all be a bit overwhelming for any parent. Is there any Biblical advice for new parents out there? Pre-Parenting Counseling? As Christians, many of us see the value and importance of pre-marital counseling. We understand that in this new marriage, a young man and young woman are entering into a brand new phase of their life, and there are many things that need to be discussed and that they need to receive godly, biblical input on in order to enter into their marriage prepared for the long-haul. If that is the case for marriage, shouldn’t that be a similar case for parenting? Yet, in my experience, no such pre-parenting counseling exists. Sure, there are countless resources out there that help new parents think through things like sleep training and discipline and nursing and so forth. But what about a resource that helps Christian parents prepare themselves in a godly, Bible-centered way for the changes that are coming with the addition of this child to the family? A New Book A new book that helps meet this need is by Rob and Stephanie Green, titled Tying Their Shoes: A Christ-Centered Approach to Preparing for Parenting. In the introduction, the Green’s explain how, when they were searching for resources several years ago when they had their third child, they were able to find resources like I mentioned above. But what was lacking was a resource like the one they have written here. They say: “What we needed to prepare us for this transition from the two of us to the three of us was something far more than a guide to pregnancy and a plan to survive infancy (although both were helpful). We needed to understand how God’s grace was going to help us every step of the way. We needed to see God’s grace in the days when everything was going according to plan. And we needed to see God’s grace when the day was crashing” (3). What follows in the rest of this book is an incredibly practical and helpful Christ-Centered guide to new parents on preparing for parenting. Over the course of 13 chapters, Rob and Stephanie Green provide the reader with Biblical wisdom, personal stories, pastoral comfort and guidance, and general wisdom for any parent, whether preparing for their first or their seventh child. Throughout the chapters the Green’s focus on several key themes, including the primacy of marriage over parenting, the crucial reminder of our identity in Christ over everything else, the value of both the mother and father working together by serving and helping one another, and the general heart posture of leaning on God and His wisdom, guidance, care, and comfort in all things, from the most trivial and mundane to the most heart-wrenching, trying times of parenting. Below are the thirteen chapters that are included in the book. 1. Identity in Christ and Parenting 2. Help Your New Baby by Prioritizing Your Marriage 3. The Lord is My Shepherd — Labor and Delivery 4. Be Prepared to Go Home 5. Accomplish the Goal in Parenting 6. Work Together — Not Against — Each Other 7. Stewardship of Sleep, Money, and the Heart 8. The Blessings of Parenting 9. Dad’s Involvement 10. All I Want Is “Me Time” 11. Sexual Intimacy as a New Parent 12. Learning to Teach and Discipline 13. Cast Your Cares on God Conclusion As a parent of two, with our youngest having just turned one and our oldest almost four, I was greatly helped by this book even now. But I absolutely wish that I had this book four or five years ago when we were preparing for the birth of our firstborn, or even a year or so ago as we prepared for our second. Parenting is an incredible joy and privilege, but it is also hard work. I would strongly encourage any couple — whether parents or not — to get a copy of this book and work through it together as a couple. I would doubly encourage any couple that is expecting a child to grab a copy immediately and work through this book. From the biblical wisdom to the personal stories, you will find this to be an incredibly readable book, but more important, an incredibly Christ-Centered and Biblical book. I would strongly recommend this book be on the shelf of every Christian parent. In accordance with FTC regulations I would like to thank New Growth Press for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Welcoming in a new child to a family is a life-changing event that is fraught with a whole range of emotions — excitement, fear, anxiety, and thankfulness, just to name a few. As new parents expecting your first child (or even your second or third child), what are you to expect? What changes should you be prepared for? How will this new addition to your family change the dynamics of your marriage and your home life? How will you keep everything balanced? All of these are important questions. Then you have a whole host of practical considerations — epidural or not, MD or midwife, hospital or home, nursing or bottle. And of course, ask ten different people and you’re bound to get ten different opinions. It can all be a bit overwhelming for any parent. Is there any Biblical advice for new parents out there? Pre-Parenting Counseling? As Christians, many of us see the value and importance of pre-marital counseling. We understand that in this new marriage, a young man and young woman are entering into a brand new phase of their life, and there are many things that need to be discussed and that they need to receive godly, biblical input on in order to enter into their marriage prepared for the long-haul. If that is the case for marriage, shouldn’t that be a similar case for parenting? Yet, in my experience, no such pre-parenting counseling exists. Sure, there are countless resources out there that help new parents think through things like sleep training and discipline and nursing and so forth. But what about a resource that helps Christian parents prepare themselves in a godly, Bible-centered way for the changes that are coming with the addition of this child to the family? A New Book A new book that helps meet this need is by Rob and Stephanie Green, titled Tying Their Shoes: A Christ-Centered Approach to Preparing for Parenting. In the introduction, the Green’s explain how, when they were searching for resources several years ago when they had their third child, they were able to find resources like I mentioned above. But what was lacking was a resource like the one they have written here. They say: “What we needed to prepare us for this transition from the two of us to the three of us was something far more than a guide to pregnancy and a plan to survive infancy (although both were helpful). We needed to understand how God’s grace was going to help us every step of the way. We needed to see God’s grace in the days when everything was going according to plan. And we needed to see God’s grace when the day was crashing” (3). What follows in the rest of this book is an incredibly practical and helpful Christ-Centered guide to new parents on preparing for parenting. Over the course of 13 chapters, Rob and Stephanie Green provide the reader with Biblical wisdom, personal stories, pastoral comfort and guidance, and general wisdom for any parent, whether preparing for their first or their seventh child. Throughout the chapters the Green’s focus on several key themes, including the primacy of marriage over parenting, the crucial reminder of our identity in Christ over everything else, the value of both the mother and father working together by serving and helping one another, and the general heart posture of leaning on God and His wisdom, guidance, care, and comfort in all things, from the most trivial and mundane to the most heart-wrenching, trying times of parenting. Below are the thirteen chapters that are included in the book. 1. Identity in Christ and Parenting 2. Help Your New Baby by Prioritizing Your Marriage 3. The Lord is My Shepherd — Labor and Delivery 4. Be Prepared to Go Home 5. Accomplish the Goal in Parenting 6. Work Together — Not Against — Each Other 7. Stewardship of Sleep, Money, and the Heart 8. The Blessings of Parenting 9. Dad’s Involvement 10. All I Want Is “Me Time” 11. Sexual Intimacy as a New Parent 12. Learning to Teach and Discipline 13. Cast Your Cares on God Conclusion As a parent of two, with our youngest having just turned one and our oldest almost four, I was greatly helped by this book even now. But I absolutely wish that I had this book four or five years ago when we were preparing for the birth of our firstborn, or even a year or so ago as we prepared for our second. Parenting is an incredible joy and privilege, but it is also hard work. I would strongly encourage any couple — whether parents or not — to get a copy of this book and work through it together as a couple. I would doubly encourage any couple that is expecting a child to grab a copy immediately and work through this book. From the biblical wisdom to the personal stories, you will find this to be an incredibly readable book, but more important, an incredibly Christ-Centered and Biblical book. I would strongly recommend this book be on the shelf of every Christian parent.