Ancient Faith Publishing’s Parenting Toward the Kingdom: a Companion Guide is aptly named. It is both a companion and a guide to parents whose aim is to help their children toward the Kingdom of God. Intended as a study guide to be used alongside Dr. Philip Mamalakis’ well-received book Parenting Toward the Kingdom (read our 2017 review, https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/gleanings-from-a-book-parenting-toward-the-kingdom-by-dr-philip-mamalakis/), this spiral bound book both supports and extends the original book while also personalizing it for each reader. This companion guide was written by a team, Kendra Hunter, Kristina Tartara, and Stephanie Petrides (who each led a parenting group in their parish, discussing the original book), along with Dr. Philip Mamalakis. Their investment in the project is evident through the insights in the companion guide.
The guide is set up in 10 sessions, each focusing on one or more chapters of the original book. (The authors suggest that it may take more than one group gathering to do justice to one “session” in the guide, so discussion groups should be open to some flexibility in extending their session discussions as needed.) There’s a prayer to open each session that includes a different part of the “Akathist to the Mother of God: Nurturer of Children” each time. Following the opening prayer, there are eight different segments in every session that open the discussion. These include additional insights from Dr. Mamalakis. They also incorporate individual experiences, allow parents to reflect on their past actions, encourage individualized practice, help parents set goals for future actions, and briefly review the session’s learnings. There is ample room for readers to write down their own insights, ideas, and goals in the guide’s pages. Each session’s pages are sprinkled with relevant quotes from the original book.
Parenting Toward the Kingdom: a Companion Guide offers a practical way for parents to take a close look at their parenting, consider how to apply the principles in the original book within the context of their own home, and set themselves up for growth in parenting their children toward the Kingdom of God. The book is intended to be used in a group setting, so that parents can bounce ideas off each other and support each other in their ups and downs. In order to get the best benefit from this book, the reader will have to invest time and thought into each session. This companion guide will enable parents who make that investment to become better parents, and better lead their children towards the Kingdom of God.
Purchase your copy of Parenting Toward the Kingdom: a Companion Guide at https://store.ancientfaith.com/parenting-toward-the-kingdom-a-companion-guide/
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Education Ministry thanks Ancient Faith Publishing for providing a copy of this book for us to review and share.
Reviewed by Kristina Wenger, educator, podcaster, co-author of Tending the Garden of Our Hearts.
After reading the 2017 review of Parenting Toward the Kingdom (https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/gleanings-from-a-book-parenting-toward-the-kingdom-by-dr-philip-mamalakis/), and learning that there are six principles of child rearing which the Mamalakis family follows, you may wish to explore some or all of those principles a little deeper. We have linked our shorts posts for each principle below. May God help (and forgive!) all of us as we parent, grandparent, godparent, and otherwise raise His children towards His Kingdom!
- Always parent with the end in mind. https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/on-orthodox-christian-principles-of-child-rearing-principle-1-always-parent-with-the-end-in-mind/
- Respond, don’t react. https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/on-orthodox-christian-principles-of-child-rearing-principle-2-respond-dont-react/
- Understand struggles in terms of the values and the virtues of the Kingdom of God. https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2017/10/20/on-orthodox-christian-principles-of-child-rearing-principle-3-understand-struggles-in-terms-of-the-values-and-the-virtues-of-the-kingdom-of-god/
- Separate feelings from behaviors. https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/on-orthodox-christian-principles-of-child-rearing-principle-4-separate-feelings-from-behaviors/
- Teach the joy of obedience. https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2017/11/15/on-orthodox-christian-principles-of-child-rearing-principle-5-teach-the-joy-of-obedience/
- Teach the joy of repentance. https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/on-orthodox-christian-principles-of-child-rearing-principle-6-teach-the-joy-of-repentance/