Parenting the Way God Parents: Refusing to Recycle Your Parents' Mistakes

by Katherine Koonce

Divine Parenting Made Possible

Every parent wants to do his or her job well. But if you look to your family of origin, or try to follow a list of dos and don’ts, you will fail. Thankfully, God sets a model as Parent, and all you have to do is follow it! In Parenting the Way God Parents, Katherine Koonce shows how healthy parenting patterns will flow naturally when you parent from your godly heritage. By way of thought-provoking study, discussion questions, and scriptural snapshots, you’ll begin addressing not just your children’s behavior, but the important heart issues that shape their character. When you adopt God the Father’s perfect understanding of His children and prayerfully obey His example, your children can’t help but become healthy, whole, and thriving!

The Perfect Parenting Plan

Kids will be kids, and parents will become…just like their own parents. Even with the best intentions, parents will default to raising their kids just as they were raised—unless they embrace a revolutionary approach to parenting.

Thank God, because He provides the better way. He has everything you need for parenting your children in the grace, discipline, and love with which He parents you. Child development and learning specialist Katherine Koonce comes alongside to offer you a fresh perspective that will redirect your parenting path. Parenting the Way God Parents will help

Discern valid rights from selfish wants in this age of entitlement

Be prepared for anger, and help your children prepare for it too

T ake an active, prayerful role in seeking God’s vision for your family

Focus on shaping your children’s hearts, not just their behavior

Set aside parenting how-to books full of dos and don’ts and embrace the One who parents you perfectly.

“Knowing Katherine as a gifted teacher at the school my children attend,

it’s evident that she has a great deal of wisdom and insight.”

Steven Curtis Chapman

Singer/songwriter

“Parenting the Way God Parents is refreshingly free of formulas,

and packed full of wisdom and valuable insight.

I will reread it for myself and recommend it again and again in my practice.”

David Thomas

Child and Adolescent Therapist

Coauthor of Becoming a A Spiritual, Emotional and Practical Guide

Story Behind the Book

“Like most parents, I was not prepared for the job. Again and again I found myself defaulting to the parenting tactics and family dynamics recycled from my childhood. God convinced me that there was a better way. Rather than parent the way I was as a child, I can choose to parent the way I am Parented today. God my Father parents me with excellence, and I want to continue that legacy with my children. In choosing this paradigm of childrearing, however, I’ve had to lay down my little bag of parenting tricks and embrace the One who parents me perfectly.”

—Katherine Koonce

Genres: Parenting

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2010

Reviews

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goood book. A lot of details to consider. Really liked that there were questions that paired with the chapters to help you think through for yourself. Also, some recommendations at the end for future reading- makes me curious to read. Some excerpts I enjoyed:

child learns patience when he is treated with patience. A child grows frustrated and embittered when he is treated with intolerance and impatience.

True patience is accepting with hope that life develops at its own pace, in God’s time.

God invites us to throw off what we think we know and open ourselves up to His vision for our families.

We want them to do their best, not for us but for their real Parent. We want their confidence to be not in themselves but in God.. col 3:23

At the root of any unreasonable expectation is selfishness; we are looking to others to fulfill us in some way..

By encouraging righteousness, living with excellence, He displaces our tendency to sin.

[Andrew Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned about this book through an article written about Katherine after she gave her life protecting her students at the Covenant School in Nashville. I figured that someone who died that way probably had something good to say about loving and raising kids. She did. This is a great book and if I ever have kids I’m coming back to it. Just rock solid.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the title, I have mixed feelings about the subtitle. I bought the book because I enjoyed her seminar. Grace filled parenting is how I would describe the book. She ties it up beautifully. Good book to read, good book to share.

[Keeran Reidling · Rating 5 out of 5]

such an awesome reminder and reference book. i wrote all over this book and plan to buy a few copies to hand out to friends.