I am the kind of girl who feels jealous of Cinderella. Not because of the Prince or the dresses or the lure of a night out. I’m envious of that mystery fairy-godmother who comes and sorts everything out without Cinderella having to do a thing.

I like quick fixes and low effort.

I think that’s probably why I often dislike parenting books. I want a quick fix and they offer a looooong read. I want a low effort and they offer an intimidating set of principles to follow.

And let’s be truthful, if I was Cinderella I would have complained about the dress. I would have said the pumpkin coach was tacky and I would have grumbled about having to be in by midnight. When it comes to solutions offered by parenting books I tend to be the same. I grump and moan. They don’t quite fit, they’re not quite my style and they don’t allow me the space to be me and my kids to be themselves.

But *whispers* I’ve just read one I liked.

Loving the Little Years – motherhood in the trenches by Rachel Yankovic

It’s a book written by a mum of five children aged five and under (oh. my. word.). She’s a Christian trying to work out how Jesus is relevant to the task of parenting.

I like it because:

• The book is short and the chapters are really short. Hooray!
• I didn’t feel guilty or like a failure as I read it.
• I didn’t feel I was being sold a programme (“do this, say this, be this”).
• I didn’t resent her as I read about the lovely way she deals with her family (am I the only one who does this??).
• She is realistic about how hard a job parenting is and yet inspired me to keep working hard.
• I felt a renewed sense of encouragement to get to know my children as individuals rather than try to fit them into my preferred way of living.
• When she gave examples from her family I didn’t feel she was suggesting I should be just like them. I did however feel encouraged to be thoughtful and creative in how I relate to our children.

It’s a good book. Each chapter offers some thoughts on a particular subject. She encourages you to embrace your children for who they are – not what you would prefer them to be and to seek to understand and empathise with each of your kids. I liked her ideas for helping your children when they’re finding it hard to share or are being mean with their words. I found she was particularly skilled in sharing wisdom for how to change a mindset so you can feel less overwhelmed even if nothing in life has got easier!

There are always bits that don’t ring true when someone is sharing their experience. I think her family’s approach to discipline is pretty different to ours and she seems to manage quite deep chats with her kids – I can’t imagine our lot grasping that just yet!!

The overwhelming impact of this book has been positive. I have hit the reset button and feel very much refreshed. It’s a book I know I will keep on dipping back into to get encouraged and refocused. Thanks to my mother-in-law for giving it to me!

It’s not a quick fix, fairy-godmother of a book. It’s more like a lovingly-dealt kick up the bum. It’s well worth a read if you’re a Christian parent in need of encouragement.

You can get the book here.