Jessica Smart is a Christian-mom blogger who takes a very simple premise - let them be kids - and expounds on all the ways to really allow this in our very organized, overscheduled, and tiger-mom filled modern world.

Convicting book about parenting. The author is a Christian and the parenting style is reflected here. A few examples are listed but there’s just lots of anecdotes of how great her childhood was and the things she does with her kids. As the parent of an only child I find it difficult sometimes to carryover some of the examples.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Let Them Be Kids hits home as this is the phase of life that we are going through at the moment. I could relate to the chapter called "The Gift of Boredom". It was a gentle reminder on what really matters.

Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt is a phenomenal book that I think all parents should read. I loved the author's previous book Memory Making Mom and I was excited to pick up this book as well. I think this book is absolutely revolutionary for parents in so many ways. This is a book to read and re-read. It is full of practical ideas to implement now as well as broad principles that are life changing and so freeing. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. Childhood should be innocent and free and a time to learn and grow. Pick up this book if you need ideas on how to make those things heppen. So life changing! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK 

In Let Them Be Kids, Jessica Smartt offers mothers a wealth of information when raising their kids. These are not just tips and tricks, they are profound ways that this author not only researched, but things that have proven true as she raises her own children. She covers a multitude of topics, such as family time vs. outside activities, being “cool” or not, boredom, technology usage sexual purity, and showing grace when kids disobey, and many other things you will find you deal with in raising your child.

As you read Let Them Be Kids, you will find Ms. Smart gives guidelines that have worked with her family as well as other families she knows. She is not saying you must do this or that, she is telling you things that will help you, if you so choose to use them. I also like that this author gives guidelines that have given her children a Christ like atmosphere, when teaching them coping skills for living. Everything in this book is something that can be helpful for moms. This is one I highly recommend!

A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This was such a great resource during quarantine. Bringing fresh perspective in a season where we all needed it, this book was so helpful for our family.

This book helps Christian parents remember their own childhood when the world was a little less terrifying, and then gives you practical ways to encourage a positive experience for your own kids, full of good 'gifts' that they need.

It's not easy, and Jessica never says it will be. This commitment to parenting is hard work. But the gifts of limits, and freedoms, and failures and successes are so worthwhile, that I would recommend this book to all parents who just want a little guidance and encouragement.

Jessica is funny which helps gets her point across and makes her message more relatable to real parents in the midst of their chaos and responsibilities. She is still in the midst of raising kids, so she's not preaching down at us, she's right there with us, reminding us of what matters. It's not a perfect math grade!

Who do you want your kid to be as an adult? Not career-wise, but Character-wise?

I received a copy of this book through @netgalley. All thoughts are my own, and I chose to share them here.

After having been raised in not the greatest home ever, before I became a parent (nearly 14 years ago). And let me tell you, there are pretty much as many methods of raising children as there are parents in the world. And yet, to an extent, when it comes right down to it, there are certainly different styles of parenting but they all seem to fit into other forms.

Let Them Be Kids discusses keeping your children children and not rushing them to grow up so fast. And doing things appropriate for children. Which, echoes a lot of other books and philosophies out there. While in some ways it was frustrating to read a book similar to others I have read before, it was nice having a version that was updated for life in our modern world.

Okay book. No new info. It’s faith based mommy blogger repackaged info, that is mostly good info — get outside, okay to be mired, okay to make mistakes.

I’m very hesitant picking up parenting books- especially new ones. There is so much isolation and judgement in parenting today. We’ve replaced our villages with independent storage silos where we are all on our own. EG: With my first child- starting solids was a nightmare. Any google search will show you that there are 8,000 different ways to do it and all of them are the best way.

What I loved about this book was that the tools and suggestions were practical, but the advice was not judgmental. It was very ‘This is what has worked for me and families I love, here are the tools if you want to use them too!’ instead of ‘This is the only one right way it should be done!’. Which was a great relief. Sure it was convicting, but it also was just as encouraging as sitting down with a friend who says ‘Girl, I’ve been there! You’re doing just fine! Keep going!’

She shares stories from her childhood and asks you to remember your happiest childhood memories too. In sharing her own moments of fun, and of mom jealousy, she helped put me at ease and made it feel more like I was peeking in on a friends parenting playbook. I picked up the book, started highlighting on page two and didn’t stop until the end. I loved that she encourages and normalizes counseling. And that the tools are SO practical. The stories are so relatable, the tools are so valuable, and the mom encouragement is so needed!

This is a pretty standard Christian parenting book. I was hoping for more focus on things in the title like adventure but it's the same thing we've all heard or said a million times as parents -- kids today use technology too much, don't have enough time being bored, need to be taught manners and a work ethic, grow up too fast, etc. It starts out with more focus on the fun stuff they need (adventure, newness, risks...) but quickly devolves to the standard "kids today..." kind of stuff they need (grit, boredom, faith, discipline, hearing no...).

The author has three young kids and speaks as an expert (I have 5 kids, two of whom are now adults, and even I know better than to ever think you can be an expert at parenting). I agree with her on some things but I am not nearly as strict (she forbids sleepovers at any age for any of her kids, for instance) and I do not agree with her in terms of politics, religion, gender roles, etc. She mostly avoids sharing her politics but they slip in.

This is the kind of book that parents who already feel this way will like reading. I'm not sure you'll really get anything helpful out of it, since it's mostly preaching what everybody already says already and is short on actual lists of ideas and concrete advice, other than lots of concrete, rather fatalistic advice on how to porn-proof your home. You can get a glimpse of the author's style with her article on how coronavirus was a blessing in disguise for children (it "saved childhood"?) here: https://community.today.com/parenting...

All in all, this is a book that folks who already agree with the author and parent like her are going to love. I found much that I agree with as a parent even if we do come from different perspectives and I think we're not actually that different as parents in a lot of ways, but there really wasn't anything new or helpful for me personally. There are short lists of recommended books, games and movies at the end, but they're standards like It's a Wonderful Life, Monopoly, Disney movies from the 50's and The Aristocats. There is also a list of questions to ask kids to start conversations (What is the purpose of sex and who should be allowed to have sex, how are boys and girls different, can money make you happy, what makes good hygiene...).

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

This is a beautiful book full of practical and easy to implement ideas on parenting. This is one I’ll return to again and again.

I can't wait to get the hard copy of this book. Smartt speaks to my heart, to my insecurities, to my worries, and to my self-criticism. She is playful and creative in her writing, relatable and funny. I appreciate her balanced approach to parenting. I was afraid this was going to turn into so many other Christian parenting books I have read before or one of those where you end up with feral children running around and a destroyed house. My heart cannot handle such chaos.
Thanks so much for this great resource!

As a mom of two teens, a tween, and a toddler, I appreciated Jessica Smartt’s insight into the world of the parent/child relationship. There were times when I would nod my head and say, “Yup, that’s right.” Other times I would think, “Man, I wish I thought about that when….” What I really loved is the fact that it reminded me how to be a great parent with my four-year-old (and I could still use these ideas with my older children). What was I doing right, and what needed some fixing. My son was a surprise baby when my youngest at the time was eight, and we were moving into the next phase of their lives. In essence, it’s almost like learning all over again. This book was perfectly timed for me.

I do have to mention a couple of things that made me shake my head. There were times when it was painfully obvious that the author was a homeschooling mom. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but some things don’t fully translate to the parent with public school kids. The one that really stuck out was the cell phone. At one time, I would have agreed with Jessica about the phone, but with my kids involved in middle school and high school activities, phones sadly are a necessity, especially ones that have texting and app capabilities. My kids’ teachers, coaches, and choir and drama directors are always using the Remind App to communicate.

Another part that bothered me was the author’s obsession with pornography. Maybe “obsession” is too harsh a word for this, but it bothered me how much time she spent on it, and I disagreed with the amount she’s bringing it up to her children. At a young age, not only are you sowing seeds in their mind that may later come out as curiosity, but you are instilling an unhealthy image (as demonstrated by the son’s outburst of emotions when it was once again mentioned during play).

Despite these two instances, the rest of the book was amazing. I loved the light-hearted nature the book was written in, and the fact that the author laughed at herself and showed how she wasn’t perfect. It was a refreshing book to read, and it’s one that I would buy for others who are starting their parenting journey.

This book is a down to earth honest look into the goal of giving our children the best childhood they can have.
I appreciated the author's candid commentary and humorous anecdotes.
I agree with her that there is no one size fits all formula for raising children. Each child is an individual, and will have their own needs that need to be paid attention to. I appreciate the focus on balance, individuality, and guiding children with the values that are important to us.
This book raises awareness about things parents should watch for and how to tackle the challenges that face parents in today's world.

A parenting book that tackles real life struggles with doable changes and applications. Reading Smartt’s newest book was like reading a fun blog or actually having a conversation with her. She has some great ideas and her writing style doesn’t come across as you must do this or else. It’s friendly and light-hearted even when she discusses some tough topics. I especially appreciate her taking on the difficult, real life issues.

I'm not a parent myself (yet!), but I currently work with kids in my career. I found this book to be an easy read in regards to the clearly organized chapters and subsections. Additionally, if you're not Christian/religious, the author clearly labels most sections pertaining to Christianity so it is easy to skip over if you choose. I personally am not Christian but was still able to pull lots of helpful and relatable information from this book. The author does a great job separating herself from her opinions stating things along the lines of "If you disagree with this viewpoint that's completely fine. Skip over this section, or hear out my perspective".

This is an important book for parents and caregivers to read in order to learn how to raise their children to be adventurous, imaginative, safe, respectful, etc. The book covers a lot of interesting topics such as maintaining your child's innocence for a long as possible, setting boundaries on technology use, and a family "mission statement".

I loved that the author referenced many reputable sources throughout the book. It was a perfect balance of sourcing without feeling overwhelmed by data.

I was expecting more from this book and unfortunately it didn't quite deliver. Not that this book is bad or has bad information in it by any means it just didn't provide me with the enlightenment that I had hoped for. In our family we have already adopted the lifestyle and parenting techniques that Smartt discusses so I didn't really learn anything new, but it was a good refresher.

I think this book would be ideal for a family who has been living a life disconnected from each other and nature and has spent too much time plugged into technology and keeping up with the Jones'.

I don't remember the last book I read that made me feel so understood and so encouraged. Let Them Be Kids is like talking with a friend who REALLY *cares* about the soul, mind and body of my children. Smartt covers topics from adventure, imagination and play all the way to sports, technology, pornograhy and tough spiritual questions. She's funny and relatable; emotional and real; practical and loving. A big thank you to @netgalley and @thomasnelson for this free ARC! Pub date: June 9, 2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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"To let them be kids isn’t simply disengaging; it costs something, often something resembling a whole stinking lot of work...So when I proclaim, 'Let them be kids!' it is mostly not passive. It is not an exhausted resigning of duties, a last-gasp, fizzling at the end of day, free-range, unsupervised, 'Oh, what the heck . . .' free-for-all. To let them be kids, we must be adults. When we let them be kids, we are the gardeners working faithfully so childhood can grow. And our work is worth it."