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Don't Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God
Do you hear yourself saying the same things over and over to your kids?
“Do you need help?”
“Say thank you.”
“Wait a minute.” In Don’t Forget to Say Thank And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God , Lindsay Schlegel reimagines the common phrases we repeat as parents and applies them to our relationship with God. In doing so, she demonstrates how reflecting on our vocation as mothers can inform and illuminate our role as a daughter of God, drawing us closer to him. What if we took the statements we repeat to our children and apply them to ourselves? In Don’t Forget to Say Thank You , writer Lindsay Schlegel shares fifteen relatable phrases she frequently uses as a parent and how her faith and life changed when she envisioned God telling her these same things. When we start to hear the things we’re telling our kids as wisdom from God, it’s clear that the lessons we are trying to teach our kids are ones we also need to learn as children of the Most High. Asking her daughter, “Do you need help?” caused Schlegel to reflect on the importance of the Communion of Saints and reaching out for the assistance she needs. Telling her children, “Say you’re sorry” reminded her of the necessity of Confession and seeking forgiveness. And pleading that a toddler “wait a minute” while she looked for her crackers forced Schlegel to consider how she needed to have both more patience and more trust that God would take care of her. Schlegel invites us to apply the same lessons she learned to our own lives as parents and as children of God through reflection questions and a prayer at the end of each chapter. She also suggests saints to whom we can look for inspiration and guidance, reminding us that we are not alone as we strive to more accurately reflect the image of our heavenly Father.
“Do you need help?”
“Say thank you.”
“Wait a minute.” In Don’t Forget to Say Thank And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God , Lindsay Schlegel reimagines the common phrases we repeat as parents and applies them to our relationship with God. In doing so, she demonstrates how reflecting on our vocation as mothers can inform and illuminate our role as a daughter of God, drawing us closer to him. What if we took the statements we repeat to our children and apply them to ourselves? In Don’t Forget to Say Thank You , writer Lindsay Schlegel shares fifteen relatable phrases she frequently uses as a parent and how her faith and life changed when she envisioned God telling her these same things. When we start to hear the things we’re telling our kids as wisdom from God, it’s clear that the lessons we are trying to teach our kids are ones we also need to learn as children of the Most High. Asking her daughter, “Do you need help?” caused Schlegel to reflect on the importance of the Communion of Saints and reaching out for the assistance she needs. Telling her children, “Say you’re sorry” reminded her of the necessity of Confession and seeking forgiveness. And pleading that a toddler “wait a minute” while she looked for her crackers forced Schlegel to consider how she needed to have both more patience and more trust that God would take care of her. Schlegel invites us to apply the same lessons she learned to our own lives as parents and as children of God through reflection questions and a prayer at the end of each chapter. She also suggests saints to whom we can look for inspiration and guidance, reminding us that we are not alone as we strive to more accurately reflect the image of our heavenly Father.
160 pages, Paperback
Published August 24, 2018
8 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 17, 2018
I didn't expect that being a parent would teach me so much about being a child - a child of God. But it has.
In Don't Forget to Say Thank You, Lindsay Schlegel has collected her insights (parenting lessons) based on the the things she repeatedly says to her children: "Stop whining," "Go to bed," "You need to say 'I'm sorry'," and more.
Filled with relatable stories and lessons (including the author's personal struggle following a miscarriage), Don't Forget to Say Thank You is a gentle call to listen carefully to how you you instruct your children and why and then apply that to your relationship with God. It's a simple concept with surprising depth and resonance.
In Don't Forget to Say Thank You, Lindsay Schlegel has collected her insights (parenting lessons) based on the the things she repeatedly says to her children: "Stop whining," "Go to bed," "You need to say 'I'm sorry'," and more.
Filled with relatable stories and lessons (including the author's personal struggle following a miscarriage), Don't Forget to Say Thank You is a gentle call to listen carefully to how you you instruct your children and why and then apply that to your relationship with God. It's a simple concept with surprising depth and resonance.
November 17, 2020
Such a beautiful reminder of the gifts God has given His people through the institution of the family! Lindsay's personal accounts of motherhood and the simplicity of those days is a grace-filled reminder to readers of ordinary holiness how it can draw us nearer to the Creator. HIGHLY recommend!
September 14, 2018
As a mom of young children, I often find myself saying (ok, yelling) so many of these phrases to my kids: be patient! stop whining! eat your dinner! Relatedly, I also spend a good amount of time praying for patience and trying to remember that Jesus was a toddler once, too. By flipping the script and reminding me that I'm a child, too--a child of God, who needs the exact same reminders as my kids, just as often if not more, from my own heavenly parent--Schlegel has helped me deepen my spirituality in my vocation as a mom. In her book, each of these oh-so-common, relatable phrases becomes a jumping off point to explore--through Scripture as well as Schlegel's own experiences--what our own every day experiences as parents can teach us about our relationship with God and (importantly!), how they can bring us closer to Him. Each chapter also has a thoughtful "reflect" and "pray" section that has helpful, do-able guides for prayer life. This is a book that I'll keep on my bedside table and return to often. Highly recommend.
November 3, 2018
The things we say to our kids contain more truth than we think: truths about our relationship with God. Lindsay Schlegel shares 15 of those phrases we say around the house on a daily basis, and examines what they mean by imagining God saying those same phrases to her. Rounding out each short chapter is a prayer, reflection questions, and a couple of patron saints whose example can help us on our spiritual journeys. Honest, encouraging, and challenging. I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.
September 22, 2021
An incredibly beautiful and inspiring book. It serves as a wonderful reminder to use everyday moments to delve deeper into our faith, and remember that our relationship with our children is a reflection on our relationship with God. It inspires introspective thought as well as more macro level thinking about society. It serves as a wonderful tool revel in the miracle of life and goodness of God. Highly recommended for any parent.
March 30, 2022
I really appreciated how every chapter focused on a different lesson to learn from raising your children. A lot of times self help books make a really good point in the first chapter and then keep making the same point (and only that point) every chapter afterwards. This book was refreshingly different. I highlighted all throughout my book too, as she made many good points!
February 2, 2021
You will find in this book meditations (short lessons) on motherhood along with questions to reflect on, a prayer and the life (an exemple) of a saint.
The sweet words on motherhood bring so much peace and courage in the moms who read the book.
Loved this book!
The sweet words on motherhood bring so much peace and courage in the moms who read the book.
Loved this book!
June 30, 2022
Easy to read, could really relate to this book, and inspired me as a mother.
October 19, 2022
A friend passed this along to read. Intended for a catholic audience, some of it didn't resonate w me but overall I enjoyed the short, devotional thoughts
September 9, 2018
"Stop whining." That's what God has to keep telling me repetitively and that's one of the phrases Lindsay Schlegel unpacks in this ode to understanding a bit of what God goes through as a parent.
I wish I reflected on how cleansing and self-sacrificing motherhood is in the moment, rather than in regretful moments after I let frustration or despair take over. But I'm the sinner and God is Love. The author wrote nicely about the difference and the similarities from which we can learn while living our role as parent. She uses oft-repeated parental phrases ("Don't forget to say 'Thank you,'" "Stop whining," "Wait a minute," etc) and shows how they apply to our lives as God's children. "What if I don't want to 'wait a minute,' God?! What if I want it RIGHT NOW?!"
It helps with empathy, yes, but Schlegel's objective is clearly more so that we can picture ourselves in that role of child again. This way, we can more easily let God provide for us through His will and in His all-knowing way. That letting go feels impossible sometimes, but if we can step back and take small sips of life as dedication to that calling, as Schlegel suggests, we'll improve.
I enjoyed the anecdotes and the way I was pulled into the comparison between my parenthood (or really, more so my experience as a teacher, as my daughter is only one year old as I write this) and my daughterhood. For example, guess at what time I read the chapter about how we make sure our children get enough sleep, while staying up too late or skipping the sleep we so desperately need? 4 am. Because I decided I wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep and so I just got out of bed. God's whispering, "Go to bed."
Some of the unpacking was a little direct, rather than guiding. The book is a good set of experiences from the perspective of one woman and I could see it being a choice for a Catholic women's book club. The reflection questions and prayers in the back of each chapter would make that fruitful! Thank you to the author for using her time and talents to give voice to what many women think, feel, and need to hear!
I wish I reflected on how cleansing and self-sacrificing motherhood is in the moment, rather than in regretful moments after I let frustration or despair take over. But I'm the sinner and God is Love. The author wrote nicely about the difference and the similarities from which we can learn while living our role as parent. She uses oft-repeated parental phrases ("Don't forget to say 'Thank you,'" "Stop whining," "Wait a minute," etc) and shows how they apply to our lives as God's children. "What if I don't want to 'wait a minute,' God?! What if I want it RIGHT NOW?!"
It helps with empathy, yes, but Schlegel's objective is clearly more so that we can picture ourselves in that role of child again. This way, we can more easily let God provide for us through His will and in His all-knowing way. That letting go feels impossible sometimes, but if we can step back and take small sips of life as dedication to that calling, as Schlegel suggests, we'll improve.
I enjoyed the anecdotes and the way I was pulled into the comparison between my parenthood (or really, more so my experience as a teacher, as my daughter is only one year old as I write this) and my daughterhood. For example, guess at what time I read the chapter about how we make sure our children get enough sleep, while staying up too late or skipping the sleep we so desperately need? 4 am. Because I decided I wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep and so I just got out of bed. God's whispering, "Go to bed."
Some of the unpacking was a little direct, rather than guiding. The book is a good set of experiences from the perspective of one woman and I could see it being a choice for a Catholic women's book club. The reflection questions and prayers in the back of each chapter would make that fruitful! Thank you to the author for using her time and talents to give voice to what many women think, feel, and need to hear!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews