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, in exchange for honest review from FlyBy Blog Promotions. I received a paperback book. About the Book: From Media Kit
These conversations deepen Amy Julia’s relationships with her children, but they also refine her understanding of what she believes and what God is doing in her own life.
In Small Talk, Amy Julia draws from the wisdom and curiosity of those young voices to reflect on beauty and kindness, tragedy and disability, prayer and miracles. As she moves through the basic questions her kids posed when they were very young to the more intellectual questions of later childhood, she invites us to learn from our own day-to-day conversations with the children in our lives.
This eloquent parenting memoir is about the big questions little hearts ask, the thoughts their words provoke, and the laughter and soul-searching their honesty brings—to adult and child alike.
About the author:
Amy Julia Becker writes about faith, family, and disability for Parents.com, the New York Times, Motherlode blog, TheAtlantic.com, The Huffington Post parents page, Christianity Today, The Christian century, and numerous other publications. Her first book, A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny, was named one of the Top Ten Religion Books of 2011 by Publishers Weekly. Amy Julia lives in western Connecticut with her husband and three children.
My Review
I was drawn to the book because of the title: Learning from my children about what matters most. As a parent of special needs kids, I have to learn what matters most from them. My kids are trying to tell me something, even if I do not understand at times.
For example, for the longest, Brad was trying to tell me he was hungry by signing the word hungry. He already knew the word eat, meat, ice, and cheese, which usually told me when he was hungry. One of his old teachers taught him signs, but did not tell me what he was learning. For the longest, I thought he was stimming until I went to a parent teacher conference and noticed another parent doing the same sign. He was trying to tell me something, but I lacked understanding to comprehend what he was saying.
Or when Kalen wanted something and he was pointing to the bathroom. Since I was clueless about what was in the bathroom, I opened the door. Midget climbed up the sink, turned on the water, turned his head, and drunk from the sink like a water fountain. Yeah, I got the message. He was thirsty. Since he does not use sippy cups anymore, this was his way of telling me he was thirsty.
Small Talk is a book about parents connecting with their children. It's not a parenting guide. It's not filled with advice. It's not a how-to guide. Small Talk presents stories about everyday parenting moments and what we can learn from them. One of the first passages, which stood out, was
"For a long time, I thought my children were a distraction from the work God was doing in my life and the world around me. I am starting to realize they are the work God is doing in my life. They are the invitation to give, to receive, to be humbled, to grow. They are the vehicles of grace. (p. 13".
Somedays, I feel my kids are a distraction--from me cleaning, from me writing, from me organizing, from me being able to breathe for a few minutes. Even though I get busy and lack support with them, I still have to stop what I am doing and focus on them. The house, my bedroom may not ever be clean, like I want it. I may have a pile full of clothes, which needs folding and putting up, but the kids are to come first (at least that's what I want to accomplish one day). Putting them first , even when I have 3 video reviews, 5 product reviews, and 1 book review due within 2 days of each other lol.
For example, for the longest, Brad was trying to tell me he was hungry by signing the word hungry. He already knew the word eat, meat, ice, and cheese, which usually told me when he was hungry. One of his old teachers taught him signs, but did not tell me what he was learning. For the longest, I thought he was stimming until I went to a parent teacher conference and noticed another parent doing the same sign. He was trying to tell me something, but I lacked understanding to comprehend what he was saying.
Or when Kalen wanted something and he was pointing to the bathroom. Since I was clueless about what was in the bathroom, I opened the door. Midget climbed up the sink, turned on the water, turned his head, and drunk from the sink like a water fountain. Yeah, I got the message. He was thirsty. Since he does not use sippy cups anymore, this was his way of telling me he was thirsty.
Small Talk is a book about parents connecting with their children. It's not a parenting guide. It's not filled with advice. It's not a how-to guide. Small Talk presents stories about everyday parenting moments and what we can learn from them. One of the first passages, which stood out, was
"For a long time, I thought my children were a distraction from the work God was doing in my life and the world around me. I am starting to realize they are the work God is doing in my life. They are the invitation to give, to receive, to be humbled, to grow. They are the vehicles of grace. (p. 13".
Somedays, I feel my kids are a distraction--from me cleaning, from me writing, from me organizing, from me being able to breathe for a few minutes. Even though I get busy and lack support with them, I still have to stop what I am doing and focus on them. The house, my bedroom may not ever be clean, like I want it. I may have a pile full of clothes, which needs folding and putting up, but the kids are to come first (at least that's what I want to accomplish one day). Putting them first , even when I have 3 video reviews, 5 product reviews, and 1 book review due within 2 days of each other lol.
Giveaway
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Please leave a comment. Thank you. Stacie