BookMark Review Club

BookMark for Moms

Resources to help you be a more effective mom

Confident Parenting by Jim Burns (Bethany House, 2007)

National radio host Jim Burns draws from more than 20 years experience counseling hundreds of families to help parents develop an effective strategy for raising healthy, whole children in Confident Parenting. He shows readers that with perseverance and endurance, strategy and intentionality, they can create a grace-filled home.

His seven steps to confident parenting include:

Overcome negative family patterns.
Take responsibility for your plan and purpose.
Communicate with affection, warmth and encouragement.
Find replenishment for overcrowded lives.
Create a grace-filled home with consistent discipline.
Bring security and honor to the home through parental blessings.
Raise kids who love God and have a proper love for themselves.

Burns encourages parents to consider what kind of legacy they want to leave their children in five areas of life: spiritual, relational, physical, emotional and mental. Questions and exercises at the end of each chapter help readers see how they can use the principles of confident parenting in their own lives and develop an overarching family plan.

Here for You: Creating a Mother Daughter Bond that Lasts a Lifetime by Susie Shellenberger and Kathy Gowler (Bethany House, 2007)

In this easy-to-read book, Susie Shellenberger and Kathy Gowler help moms and daughters navigate through the different stages of this complex relationship, emphasizing the power and importance of a covenant with each other. Through biblical examples, the authors show that covenants can change lives when made with God’s power and blessing—and it can be the greatest gift mothers and daughters can give each other.

The suggested covenants include moms being godly role models for daughters, praying for their daughters every day and helping them unfold the unique personality and gifts with which God has blessed them. Daughters covenant to love their moms no matter what, be honest and respect the position of authority God has placed moms in.

The authors get honest with readers, asking them to do the same with each other. Full of humor, wisdom and wit, Here for You closes the gap between mothers and daughters, allowing them to form a bond and friendship that can change their lives and their relationships with God.

What’s in the Bible for Mothers by Judy Bodmer (Bethany House, 2008)

What does the Bible have to say about being a mom today? Plenty! While the Bible’s famous mothers didn’t have to deal with the Internet or a full-time job outside the home, they can relate to you in what’s most important: They loved their children and they did the best they could. And in doing so, they set great examples for how you can handle adversity, raise godly children and grow in your own faith.

This excellent resource (the latest in the “What’s in the Bible” series) offers priceless biblical advice to moms on subjects ranging from giving birth and deciding whether to work or stay home to mourning the empty nest. The easy-to-read format includes lots of real-life examples, quotes from well-known authors and lessons from the Bible about juggling motherhood and marriage, managing as a single mom, meeting your child’s needs, disciplining and training and developing good communication.

Whether you’re a new mom, an empty nester or somewhere in between, there’s something for you in What’s in the Bible for Mothers.

In Jesse’s Shoes: Appreciating Kids with Special Needs by Beverly Lewis, illustrated by Laura Nikiel (Bethany House, 2007)

In this sensitive and realistic book, Jesse’s sister struggles to understand her brother—and the kids who make fun of his developmental disabilities. Accompanied by beautiful watercolor illustrations, the story will help kids and parents talk about the fact that being “different” isn’t bad—it’s just “different.”