Inconvenient Parenting: Activate Your Child's God-Given Traits

by Melissa Hannigan

Hope and help for shaping Christ-honoring future generations. Families are like little churches. They are meant to be places of discipleship, worship, and rest—places where we can fine tune the gifts God’s given us so we can bless the world. They can be full of surprises and joy. But family life can also be heartbreaking and downright discouraging. Trained counselor and mother Melissa Hannigan knows how hard it is to cast and keep a vision of rich family life. How do we cultivate a family culture that’s vibrant and encouraging—a refuge amidst life’s storms? Melissa is passionate about helping families build healthy, strong, God-honoring homes. In Inconvenient Parenting , she shares twelve qualities that are the key ingredients to that desired Wisdom — Wonder — Vitality — Sensitivity — Flexibility ­­—Curiosity — Creativity — Imagination — Inventiveness — Playfulness — Humor — Joy Melissa shows us why, though inconvenient at times, it’s necessary to encourage and infuse these traits in our children and reveals how we can unknowingly discourage these qualities. Each chapter concludes with practical activities, book recommendations, and discussion questions to help parents immediately apply the principles discussed. Become more connected to God and one another through the rich wisdom and help offered in Inconvenient Parenting .

Genres: Parenting

160 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2023

Reviews

[Lee Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melissa Hannigan has written an excellent resource for Christian parents. Her biblical worldview and love for the Father are understood in the wisdom she shares in each chapter. She asks the question of what is: Wisdom, Wonder, Curiosity, Imagination, Humor, Joy, and other vital character elements, and how we can shape and mold our children to tap into their God-given potential through character development. I enjoyed reading about inventiveness; "The future is ripe with inventions not dreamed up yet. Our children will be that future, and the future is changing at a rapid pace. If we want to help our children to be leaders of the future, then inventiveness is one of the keys to their success!" Yes, children are the future, and this book will help you guide and direct your children lovingly and organically!

[Tegan V · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short, quick read! As someone who can get caught up in to do tasks, this is such a great reminder that messes, inconveniences, and more are part of parenting and how I respond to them will matter to my kids. I’ll be coming back to this as our daughter ages!

[Amanda Branch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a book giveaway in one of my fb groups( I think). This year has been extremely BUSY and HARD one for our family. One particular day, I remembered I had this book that I still needed to read. I’m so glad I took the time to read this book. I can’t say that all the information in the book was new for me but it was a good reminder on being intentional with our family. Our daughter just hit her tween years and I was beginning to wonder if I was doing it all wrong. This book helped remind me that if we are consistent and continue to point her to Christ everything will be ok. I made a list of things that we can implement into our family that we have not already been doing and it may not be convenient BUT it will be so worth it. Thanks for this inspiring read Melissa.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good ideas for traits to implement into one's family. I particularly appreciated the chapters on Flexibility, Playfulness, and Humor. Some ideas will only work if your kids are old enough/responsible enough to do their part of the trait (i.e., Creativity = being able to clean up one's own messes).

[Ryan Gant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been encouraged to be more intentional as a parent, to instill more of these qualities that she elaborates on in our house. This book is a great resource for parents. Best part to me, is that it is all related back to Jesus, and the importance of striving everyday to be more like Him.

[Ivette Shover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great insights and reminders.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might step on your toes… great read for intentional parenting

[Jess | abookishgardener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking and relatable guide for modern day parents navigating the challenges of raising children in a fast-paced world. Melissa Hannigan encourages parents to embrace the messiness and imperfections of parenting.

The is a strong theme of homeschool, but I didn’t feel like public school was raked over the coals.