Intentional Parents

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book as Biblical, helpful, and encouraging as Laura Hendrickson’s Finding Your Child’s Way on the Autism Spectrum. Laura speaks out of an experience with her autistic son from preschool diagnosis through high school valedictorian.

Laura does an excellent job of weaving her personal experiences, Biblical principles, and practical suggestions together into short, readable chapters. She does not back away from the tougher subjects, such as “How do I discipline my autistic child?” and “What about stims?” or “How should I handle a meltdown?” In fact, the Biblical principles she presents for those subjects–always seasoned with grace–have helped to clarify my thoughts and encourage me to persevere with our autistic daughter.

I am especially thankful for her examples of discipling our special needs children, nudging them closer to Christ even when we don’t know whether they are comprehending spiritual truths.

I was convicted by chapter 8, in which Laura graciously shared what the Lord taught her through watching her son be rejected and ridiculed by others.

Recent statistics cite that 1 out of every 100 children are on the autism spectrum. To those of you who are seeking to be an intentional parent for your autistic child, or for those of you who know a parent of an autistic child, I highly recommend Finding Your Child’s Way on the Autism Spectrum by Dr. Laura Hendrickson, published by Moody Publishers.

Tricia Simmons graciously sent me a copy of her new book, Intentional Parenting. It was refreshing to be encouraged and challenged once again in this great responsibility we have as parents.

I especially like her word picture of training our children to cling to Jesus as a vine is trained to cling to a stake or pillar as it grows. Great illustration in the chapter “Train up a Child”! It’s so helpful to think in terms of binding our children to Jesus and trimming away anything that may hinder their growth in the right direction.

Other chapters remind us of our job to teach them diligently the things of the Lord, to be careful that we hold ourselves to the same standard of holiness that we hold up to our children, and to be cautious of allowing the enemy’s lies to gain any foothold in our own thinking or our little ones’.

Tricia reminds us of the important place that Scripture should have in our homes and in our teaching. And she emphasizes the roles that mothers and fathers have been given to fulfill, including a chapter on discipline.

Each chapter ends with helpful, practical tips for living out the principles in everyday life, plus a heartfelt prayer.

Tricia has packed a lot of truth and wisdom into about 100 pages. If you’re looking to recharge your parenting batteries, grab a copy of Intentional Parenting: His Word, Our Actions, Eternal Rewards by Tricia Simmons.