I was given this little book as a Christmas gift from a very dear friend.  It's a very quick read that you will want to read in one sitting.  It is published by Orange, which is the curriculim our church uses for our children's programming. I have seen it from the leader side and the parent side and it is a great resource for both. They have an app for parents and I always get the best information from it.

Anyway, back to this book.  I sat down and read it in about an hour and then have re-read it again because the information in it hit me hard as a parent.  I feel like we get so busy in our everyday life that we don't take the time to really see our kids.  At least, I feel this way sometimes.  And sometimes I feel like a total parent failure!  Have you ever felt this way?  This wonderful book helps be more present with your kids and not miss each phase they go through. I'm going to share a couple of my favorites from the book...

"The average parent has less than 1,000 weeks from the time their kids are born until they move out of the house."

"Every week matters and what you do every week matters."

"You may not realize it, but you are making history."

"If you want to build a meaningful history with your kids, start by changing what happens this week."

"If you want your child to grow up with a healthy sense of worth, direction, perspective, belonging, significance, connection....then you need to be intentional about what you do over time."

"Some of us have been so programmed to see what is wrong about our kids that we have forgotten how to see what is right about them."

"How you respond to your kids core questions will help shape and define their identiy."

"Don't miss your role as a parent.  Show up in a unique way at every phase of their life."

Each page has a quick blurb....

...about what you will learn on the other page. 

I could go on and on about how eye opening this book has been to me.  I am also a kindergarten teacher and plan to share this with my team because anyone that works with or has children should read this.  

I'm going to end with this question for you.  How would your kids grade you on how well you know them right now?  Tough question, huh?

If you would like to learn more about parenting your children through their different phases, please check out justaphase.com. There are lots of resources available for all ages.  I have already ordered the book for Aiden's 6th grade year, which they say is the "who cares" phase and we are definelty in it.

Special thanks to my dear friend, Stacey for this wonderful book!!  Let me know if you check it out and what you think.