What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times
Raise hopeful, grounded and action-oriented children in a time that feels full of uncertainty.
Kids and parents alike are feeling the weight of these troubling times. Anxiety disorders are on the rise in teens and children. “Climate anxiety” is a phrase entering our cultural lexicon.
Ancient practices of Christianity, both internal and external, can be a guidepost for parents navigating this uncharted territory. They give us a way to be grounded as well as provide a way of living with purpose in a time of urgency. The Hopeful Family is the guidebook for parents who are building a life of meaning and hope even in a time of unease. Readers will be reminded of the hope that is part of the Christian story and find both inspiration and evidence to step more fully into a framework of abundance and optimism.
Kids and parents alike are feeling the weight of these troubling times. Anxiety disorders are on the rise in teens and children. “Climate anxiety” is a phrase entering our cultural lexicon.
Ancient practices of Christianity, both internal and external, can be a guidepost for parents navigating this uncharted territory. They give us a way to be grounded as well as provide a way of living with purpose in a time of urgency. The Hopeful Family is the guidebook for parents who are building a life of meaning and hope even in a time of unease. Readers will be reminded of the hope that is part of the Christian story and find both inspiration and evidence to step more fully into a framework of abundance and optimism.
- GenresParenting
184 pages, Paperback
Published January 18, 2021
15 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 20, 2021
The Hopeful Family tackles the importance of raising hopeful, grounded and action-oriented children in a time that feels full of uncertainty....if there ever was a time for this book, it is now! The book is written in a way that makes the thoughts and gentle advice accessible, meaningful and actionable to families of all ages, stages, backgrounds and beliefs. As a parent to teenagers and a person who works with families in a church setting, the idea of spiritual practices as the groundwork for resilience resonates deeply. I appreciated the evidence based approach that leans in equal parts on scholarly research, faith, and personal stories to encourage the reader toward action. The action steps sprinkled throughout each chapter and the questions at the end of each chapter encourage both though and concrete actions. This is a book that is meant to be discussed, lived and revisited. I am certain it will become a well loved part of both my personal library and a frequent recommendation to other parents.
February 2, 2021
A practical book full or personal story and ideas for helping develop an active, vibrant faith in our children, our families. Love the prayers throughout!
December 29, 2021
Think “Mudhouse Sabbath”, but for families with kids. Practical, realistic, and oh so timely, this is such a wonderful book. Honestly, I have read so many books on faith practices and sooooo many books on parenting, I wasn’t expecting to be particularly enthusiastic. But Amelia Richardson Dress has such a winsome voice and wholehearted way about her. While some concepts were quite familiar to me, there are some real contributions to the literature in these pages, and furthermore, the way it’s organized brings both depth and simplicity to the conversation. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter will make it an excellent resource for church groups or individuals wanting further reflection. I particularly loved the chapters on Sacred Reading, Generosity, and most of all, Blessing.
January 20, 2021
In this timely title, Amelia Richardson Dress gives parents a framework for raising resilient, thoughtful, hope-filled children through an exploration of nine spiritual practices including Sacred Reading, Sabbath, Gratitude and Blessing. In her introduction, entitled 'Parenting with Hope,' Amelia says:
"What we can do is give kids the tools they need to navigate life. We can raise them with spiritual practices that will be their anchor when life is hard, or when God seems far away. We can
give them a love for exploring and questioning, so that if at some point they’re in need of spiritual guidance, they’ll know how to search."
Thank you, Amelia, for bringing hope, healing and wholeness into our homes.
"What we can do is give kids the tools they need to navigate life. We can raise them with spiritual practices that will be their anchor when life is hard, or when God seems far away. We can
give them a love for exploring and questioning, so that if at some point they’re in need of spiritual guidance, they’ll know how to search."
Thank you, Amelia, for bringing hope, healing and wholeness into our homes.
January 19, 2021
When I was gifted this book, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
My children are no longer littles, with my oldest just welcoming his first a few months ago, and my youngest is deeply entrenched in their late teens, with plans for prom and talks of college closer on the horizon than I’d like. Beyond feeling like I was beyond the target parenting stage prior to falling into this book, I was concerned about the whole Christian thing. While I would consider myself as spiritual in my own way with roots in a Christian faith, I am by no means religious and often turned off by perceived or overt judgement based on how I choose (or choose not) to demonstrate my beliefs.
I quickly found that my worries were unfounded. The author had a beautiful way of winding her humility, patience and acceptance throughout the book. While the chapters were interspersed with lessons from the Bible as I had expected, it wasn’t done with a heavy hand. The author also sprinkled stories and interactions from faiths and cultures across the globe. I was pleasantly surprised to find such beautiful, thoughtful and inclusive messages throughout the book.
There were several exercises that I found particularly helpful, not just as a parent but as a my own human self. Reflections on anxiety and empathy, forgiveness and accepting apologies, hospitality and (gasp!) even embracing the silence, are followed by exercises suggested with a gentle hand and kind tone. I appreciate the invitation to practice these exercises in a variety of ways that may help the reader better connect to their Faith, in whatever form and in whatever Faith that may be.
As the parent of a teenager, I particularly enjoyed the lessons on the discipline and invitation of Sabbath - though admittedly I may have taken a different lesson from this than someone who is more religious would - and the mantra for presence. Both of these encourage a similar mindfulness that feels to me more pressing as my child prepares to fly the nest, without being too preachy.
Overall, it was a delightful read. There are several lessons that I’ve taken to heart, and even a few that I’m going to try to get my teen to read and reflect on personally, too.
My children are no longer littles, with my oldest just welcoming his first a few months ago, and my youngest is deeply entrenched in their late teens, with plans for prom and talks of college closer on the horizon than I’d like. Beyond feeling like I was beyond the target parenting stage prior to falling into this book, I was concerned about the whole Christian thing. While I would consider myself as spiritual in my own way with roots in a Christian faith, I am by no means religious and often turned off by perceived or overt judgement based on how I choose (or choose not) to demonstrate my beliefs.
I quickly found that my worries were unfounded. The author had a beautiful way of winding her humility, patience and acceptance throughout the book. While the chapters were interspersed with lessons from the Bible as I had expected, it wasn’t done with a heavy hand. The author also sprinkled stories and interactions from faiths and cultures across the globe. I was pleasantly surprised to find such beautiful, thoughtful and inclusive messages throughout the book.
There were several exercises that I found particularly helpful, not just as a parent but as a my own human self. Reflections on anxiety and empathy, forgiveness and accepting apologies, hospitality and (gasp!) even embracing the silence, are followed by exercises suggested with a gentle hand and kind tone. I appreciate the invitation to practice these exercises in a variety of ways that may help the reader better connect to their Faith, in whatever form and in whatever Faith that may be.
As the parent of a teenager, I particularly enjoyed the lessons on the discipline and invitation of Sabbath - though admittedly I may have taken a different lesson from this than someone who is more religious would - and the mantra for presence. Both of these encourage a similar mindfulness that feels to me more pressing as my child prepares to fly the nest, without being too preachy.
Overall, it was a delightful read. There are several lessons that I’ve taken to heart, and even a few that I’m going to try to get my teen to read and reflect on personally, too.
January 22, 2021
The Hopeful Family filled me with the hope that it might actually be possible to incorporate meaningful spiritual practices into our family's everyday, busy lives. Families of young children(or of teenagers for that matter) struggle with how to carve out the moments to teach the big ideas of spiritual practices like Forgiveness, Gratitude and Generosity. Aside from any moral imperative caregivers feel to teach these practices, there is so much research shared in this book about the connection between these practices and raising resilient children! In an engaging style with practical real-life anecdotes as illustrations, the author shares what it might look like for our families to make a traditional practice like Sacred Reading or Sabbath a living practice that fits us and serves today's needs.
Each spiritual practice is given its own chapter with suggestions on how others have incorporated that practice. If you wanted to, you could skip between chapters to read about the spiritual practice that most intrigues you. There are reflection questions at the end of each chapter which work well for solo use or would be fun to incorporate into a group discussion. I work as the Christian Ed Director for a progressive Christian church and plan to bring this resource to our church's families during the Lenten season ahead. Many thanks to Amelia Richardson Dress for crafting such a usable, valuable resource for families!
Each spiritual practice is given its own chapter with suggestions on how others have incorporated that practice. If you wanted to, you could skip between chapters to read about the spiritual practice that most intrigues you. There are reflection questions at the end of each chapter which work well for solo use or would be fun to incorporate into a group discussion. I work as the Christian Ed Director for a progressive Christian church and plan to bring this resource to our church's families during the Lenten season ahead. Many thanks to Amelia Richardson Dress for crafting such a usable, valuable resource for families!
February 1, 2021
Richardson Dress writes from a deep love and appreciation for children’s spirituality and the realities of parenthood. With wonder and warmth she invites families to explore new and familiar practices, bless one another, and reflect.
Each of the nine chapters succinctly explores a spiritual practice accompanied by the most relevant science and psychology. In addition to the approachable length of the book, I appreciate the author’s perspective that sacred reading, forgiveness, sabbath, sharing the table, gratitude, hospitality, generosity, silence and blessing are all practices. She gives parents permission to start small, if needed, and to pick and choose among the practices that work for the place your family finds itself now.
The Hopeful Family will help households journey together in “vibrant, loving faith.” Avoiding rigid and formulaic approaches, the author seeks to equip children (and parents) “with practices that will be their anchor when life is hard, or when God seems far away… Of course, the benefit of this is that we’ll also be building their spiritual resiliency right now.”
To view my suggested Lenten reading guide for this book, please visit: https://christinevhides.com/2021/01/3...
Each of the nine chapters succinctly explores a spiritual practice accompanied by the most relevant science and psychology. In addition to the approachable length of the book, I appreciate the author’s perspective that sacred reading, forgiveness, sabbath, sharing the table, gratitude, hospitality, generosity, silence and blessing are all practices. She gives parents permission to start small, if needed, and to pick and choose among the practices that work for the place your family finds itself now.
The Hopeful Family will help households journey together in “vibrant, loving faith.” Avoiding rigid and formulaic approaches, the author seeks to equip children (and parents) “with practices that will be their anchor when life is hard, or when God seems far away… Of course, the benefit of this is that we’ll also be building their spiritual resiliency right now.”
To view my suggested Lenten reading guide for this book, please visit: https://christinevhides.com/2021/01/3...
January 24, 2021
"The Hopeful Family" is a timely, accessible book for parents, caregivers, and religious educators. Amelia Richardson Dress thoughtfully weaves together a collection of personal experience, Biblical texts, scientific studies, and religious thinkers that meets readers where they’re at and challenges them to deepen their spiritual lives as a family from that place - wherever they’re at. As a parent of a young child and as one who works with children, youth, and families in a church setting, I appreciate how Amelia doesn’t make light of difficult topics or imply that families need to “drop everything” and put these practices in place immediately. Rather she recognizes the realities of everyday family life and puts the spiritual practices into context in manageable, non-guilt-inducing ways. I love this book, and it is one that I will come back to again and again!
January 19, 2021
Reading "The Hopeful Family" was an enjoyable and grounding experience. The language was accessible and the stories scattered throughout drew me into each of the topics the author covered. I connected most with the chapter on silence, needing the reminder to find silence when life is noisy. Although I read it from front to back, it would also be easy to dip in and out of when wanting to explore one of the chapters. The author also offers suggested activities for families to explore each chapter together. The blessings at the end of each chapter were a highlight for me.
February 7, 2021
This book was such a gift in this hard season of parenting. 2021 is surely in need of more hope, and this book delivered. I loved the specific rituals and activities to share as a family. I also loved the blessings at the end of each chapter. It was written from a Christian perspective, but I think anyone of faith or no faith at all would find meaningful ways to connect as a family. This book is perfect for parents, grandparents or anyone who works with children and wants to connect more intentionally and help shepherd them through hard times.
January 22, 2021
From the moment I held the soft, smooth cover of the book in my hands and discovered the beautiful layout and interior design, "The Hopeful Family" evoked feelings of calm; each chapter begins with an unexpected quote about parenting (with hope) and a lovely blessing is offering in conclusion. Read more of my thoughts on this terrific book here: https://rowsofsharon.com/2021/01/22/t...
January 27, 2021
Try this. That's the refrain that appears in every chapter with hundreds of entry points in how to try these simple practices that might allow you and your family to experience hope. My kids are little and most practice-focused books I've found are way beyond their young comprehension. This one is not. What is even more wonderful is that these simple practices are something that I can practice without lessening my version of hope. I can experience the full wonder in sharing these meditations with my kids. I'm so thrilled that this book exists.
March 17, 2021
Wonderful book for parents and/or church leaders. Thoughtful and practical!
July 12, 2021
A compelling book of accessible spiritual practices to undergird children and families. I can't wait to share it with the families in my congregation.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews