"In This House We Will Giggle"

I'm in the middle of one of the best parenting books I've read to date:  In This House We Will Giggle by Courtney DeFeo.

I am totally seeing myself in this woman.  She grew up in a house full of love and laughter.  A house where she learned about the love and grace of Jesus, and knew that He loved her for who she was, not because she did everything "right."  She dreamed of raising her own kids in the same way, and then, she had those kids.  She woke up one day and realized that she was a perfectionist and a control freak, and that her kids were just following rules like robots.  It was nothing like the house that she had hoped to create.  

Cue God's beautiful grace.  She remembers that in the home where she grew up, "they shared the goodness of Christ rather than threatening us with fear of breaking his commands," (p. 10).  She determines herself to teach her children about the joy of choosing to do things God's way, not just teaching them through fear of consequences. 

She writes about teaching virtues to our children and helping them to make their faith their own by "creating an environment of affection and joy," (p. 6).

So good.  Can't wait to start applying these ideas in our home!