TOS Review: How to Have A HEART For Your Kids

I was so excited to receive my first review product for the year.  Mainly, when I think of review products I think curriculum so when I saw the item was Apologia's How To Have A HEART For Your Kids by Rachel Carmen I was thrilled.  It was something that I alone could sit, savor, and enjoy.

I think I've mentioned before when I hear Apologia my mind immediately goes to science but they have so many different products available including many resources to aid homeschooling families in their journey.

After reading this book I must make a suggestion that Apologia make a new category in curriculum called, "Mom's Curriculum"!!  There is no doubt in my mind that every homeschooling mother should read this book.  Honestly, even mothers who don't homeschool should read this book.  I was discussing it with our pastor's wife, who doesn't homeschool, and she's in line next to read it!  We may start our own book club!


The timing of it was perfect for me.  We were still enjoying summer which really flew by.  When it arrived we were in the middle of an unplugged week so I had plenty of time for devouring every drop of wisdom.  Please excuse the not so glamorous look but I was enjoying myself.

As I first began to read, I found myself actually nodding my head because I could relate so much to Rachel's homeschool story!  My children were not homeschooled from the beginning and I didn't plan to although I had felt God calling me too - I resisted for several years.  This was just the introduction which you can read here.


Then came the meat -


H - Have a Heart for the Things of God
E - Enrich Your Marriage
A - Accept Your Kids
R - Release Them To God
T - Teach Them The Truth


One of my favorite passages came from the Accept Your Kids chapter.  It was just a big aha moment for me and it comes back to me each time I'm struggling with something with one of my children.


"Jochabed had prayed for deliverance for her people, the Hebrews, and guess what?  She gave birth to the deliverer!  How's that for answered prayer?  Could it be that you or I have given birth to an answer to prayer?  That will make you think.  What are you urgently praying for?  Godly government leadership? A cure for cancer?  Are you praying for a new generation of dedicated homeschool families?  Missionaries to take the good news to the lost?......................It's possible that the answers to some of these prayers are already here in the form a of a child, a teenager, or a young adult."


This was very eye opening for me and helps me to look at my children very differently even if they aren't the next so and so above.  They are a creation of the Father and not something I should take lightly.


I found this book to truly be a Titus 2 mentor book.  Ms. Carmen offers up lots of wisdom and advice in how to really know your children.  She is a homeschooling mother of seven and also the author of Soundbites from Heaven:  What God Wants Us to Hear When We Talk To Our Kids.


You can see the complete table of contents here.  To purchase your own copy for just $13 go here.

Don't forget to check out what my fellow crewmates thought of How To Have A HEART For Your Kids.  


**Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.  The opinions here are my honest and true evaluation!