“Training our children for the postmodern world means empowering them
to engage with the people who populate the world.”
I’m excited to be participating in Mary DeMuth’s blog tour for her new book Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture. I was a bit worried when I agreed to be a part of this, only because it was another parenting book and I hadn’t read it yet. But was I wrong to even be concerned! Mary highlights the postmodern thinking of today’s society and shares practical thoughts and ideas how to prepare our children to be Christians in an everchanging world.
To postmodernists, “truth…is not objective (observable and knowable), but subjective (depending on circumstances). Perspective determines much of reality.” For our children, that means we need to work hard to establish a firm foundation of what the truth really is in Christianity. Postmoderns tend to be skeptical, live with pessimism and question everything, including authority and beliefs. Our children no longer accept what they are taught at face value.
How do we teach our children to navigate through all of this? We need to be authentic parents, modeling openness and struggling. Mary states, “I experience far more closeness to my children when I admit my failures than when I trumpet my strengths.” We must show our weaknesses, celebrate our successes, admit our mistakes and apologize when we have wronged. Parenting authentically is not about directing our children’s lives according to our plans, it is coaching and guiding while walking alongside them as they go.
Creating a safe environment for our kids to question, be supported, and to share helps them to struggle and begin to own their beliefs. By doing this, their roots grow deep and are not easily swayed or damaged. They will then be empowered to reach out with the tools they need to lead, influence and shape the people around them.
The book is well worth the read and you will want to keep it handy to peak at it again and again. You can read an excerpt from the book here and can read more of Mary’s thoughts on parenting on her blog at relevantblog. Check them out!
Filed under: Blogs to Check, Books, Christian life, Family, Parenting
Wow! This sounds like an amazing book. I plan on buying it this week. I hope my church’s book store has it! Thanks for letting me know about this Rindy!
I couldn’t agree more with your excellent review! Happy Blog Tour!
Diane
Hey, thanks for the resource! It sounds like a parenting book that will actually be new. I didn’t think about how much I would need this information until you described it. Excellent!
I love what Joni says…I truly hope this book says something new. As I interact with parents about it, they seem to indicate that! Hooray!
Mary E. DeMuth
[...] Experiencing the Journey – “Creating a safe environment for our kids to question, be supported, and to share helps them to struggle and begin to own their beliefs. By doing this, their roots grow deep and are not easily swayed or damaged. They will then be empowered to reach out with the tools they need to lead, influence and shape the people around them.” [...]