When Parents Feel Like Failures: How Jesus Quiets Our Distress by Lauren Whitman
When Parents Feel Like Failures: How Jesus Quiets Our Distress by Lauren Whitman
For every parent who has ever laid awake reviewing the mistakes and missteps of their day, Lauren Whitman points them to Jesus, who quiets our distress with his love and forgiveness.
Parents often struggle with four deeply distressing emotions: fear, guilt, shame, and regret. Many parents feel resigned to the fact that these emotions will always just be a part of their experience. But Lauren Whitman, a counselor and mother, helps parents see Jesus's compassion and receive the comfort he offers them in their distress.
While many resources help moms and dads grow in how they parent, few help parents with addressing feelings about unrealistic expectations, perceived mistakes, and supposed failings. When Parents Feel Like Failures is an encouraging, grace-centered book that helps us see ourselves and the Lord more accurately.
- Learn that God's love has the power to quiet the internal churn of hard feelings that parents experience.
- Helps parents realistically reflect and evaluate themselves and the job they are doing in a favorable light.
- Part of the Ask the Christian Counselor series, walking readers through their deepest and most profound questions.
- Compact format goes deeper than New Growth Press's popular minibooks without overwhelming the reader.
ENDORSEMENTS:
“Imagine parenting without fear, regret, shame, or guilt. Lauren brings experience and wisdom to make that a realistic goal. You will be more creative, less frustrated, and might even find joy as you care for your children.”
Edward T. Welch, Faculty and Counselor, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF); author of Someone I Know Is Grieving
“The ordinarily difficult work of parenting is made even more challenging when parents feel like they are failing at their calling. Lauren Whitman understands the toxic brew of fear, guilt, shame, and regret that parents too often experience as they raise their children. With biblical clarity, gospel-centered hope, and compelling examples, she shows how Jesus quiets the voice of parental failure with his own powerful voice of love.”
Michael R. Emlet, Faculty and Counselor, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF); author of Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners: Loving Others as God Loves Us
“There is a lot to like about Lauren Whitman’s book—she knows our parenting struggles and understands today’s complexities in raising our children. This book helps us be honest about our mistakes and the churn of emotions we feel. But what I love most is the way it takes weary and discouraged parents to Christ and quiets them with his words of grace. Reading this book will be good for your soul.”
Steve Midgley, Executive Director, Biblical Counselling UK
“Fear, guilt, social pressures, and more threaten to discourage us as parents, as well as reroute us to all forms of unhelpful responses. Often these struggles stem from the desire to control outcomes with our children. Our children do not need perfect parents—they need humble ones. Lauren offers great freedom in trusting that God has the outcome and will guide us in the process.”
Julie Lowe, Counselor; speaker; author of Safeguards: Shielding Our Home and Equipping Our Kids
“
Lauren Whitman is a wise and gracious counselor who knows Scripture, the noisy hearts of stressed parents, and how to gently connect the two in a way that leads us to rest in the satisfying love of Jesus. My heart was helped by this book, and I enthusiastically recommend it.”
Paul Tautges, Pastor; author of Remade: Embracing Your Complete Identity in Christ
AUTHOR
Lauren Whitman, MA, is a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), where she has served for over a decade. She also serves as the developmental editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling and is the editor of Henry's Big Mistake and Darcy Is Always First, as well as the author of When Parents Feel Like Failures, A Biblical Counseling Process, A Painful Past, and the minibook Mom Guilt. Whitman, her husband, and their two children make their home in the Philadelphia area.