In this collection of her finest and best-known short essays, Natalia Ginzburg explores both the mundane details and inescapable catastrophes of personal life with the grace and wit that have assured her rightful place in the pantheon of classic mid-century authors. Whether she writes of the loss of a friend, Cesare Pavese; or what is inexpugnable of World War II; or the Abruzzi, where she and her first husband lived in forced residence under Fascist rule; or the importance of silence in our society; or her vocation as a writer; or even a pair of worn-out shoes, Ginzburg brings to her reflections the wisdom of a survivor and the spare, wry, and poetically resonant style her readers have come to recognize. "A glowing light of modern Italian literature . . . Ginzburg's magic is the utter simplicity of her prose, suddenly illuminated by one word that makes a lightning streak of a plain phrase. . . . As direct and clean as if it were carved in stone, it yet speaks thoughts of the heart.' — The New York Times Book Review

You get a child and all of a sudden you are a parent. But how do you bring it up? Annelies Wiersma discovered teh books from Linda Kavelin Popov with the 52 inspiring virtues such as courage, enthusiasm and responsibility. She became a Virtues Project Master Facilitator and gives courses based on Popovs five strategies for character education. In this cheerful book with its comic-strip drawings she brings the theory to life with examples from her courses and tells us in a touching, funny and intimate way about the practice she knows best: raising her own son. Linda Kavelin Popov, Virtues Project Founder: Annelies Wiersmas humorous, helpful and honest insights about applying Virtues Strategies as a parent, offer a welcome companion to The Family Virtues Guide.

A collection of stories and poems presented to teach virtues, including compassion, courage, honesty, friendship, and faith.

Families with boys often find the world reacts to them in mock horror. Even though parents love their sons, privately they admit that boys can be a handful to raise--they are boisterous, competitive, reckless, distractable. The challenge of wills between parent and son starts early, and the quest to civilize young bulls may seem hopeless some days. Yet believers know that God has given them children as a gift of heaven, specially chosen for their particular families and marked as a blessing. If that's so, why does it seem so hard? How can we prepare these boys to serve God when it's all we can do to make it through another day? Isn't there a better way? Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys shows the answer is emphatically yes. Written by the parents of six boys, Raising Real Men provides hope and encouragement to families with sons. Starting from the premise that God made boys to become men, Hal and Melanie Young offer Biblical principles and tested, practical ideas for training the manly virtues that can drive parents and teachers up the wall. This is a practical guide to equipping the hearts and minds of boys without breaking or losing your own. "...earthy, realistic, humorous, and scriptural ..." -- Douglas Wilson, author, Future Men "This is just what the doctor ordered for parents who want to raise capable Christian men of character." -- John Rosemond, author, Parenting By The Book

A timeless celebration of the virtues of courage, perseverance, responsibility, faith, honesty, and compassion, this beautifully illustrated single volume combines the wisdom of Bennett's three bestselling children's classics. 375 watercolor illustrations throughout.

The Bible’s frequently referenced chapter of Proverbs 31 defines godly womanhood. In Raising a Princess, greatly respected child advocate John Croyle asks, "How do you equip a daughter to become the kind of woman who is described in Proverbs 31?" After all, a woman like that doesn't appear out of nowhere. Somebody taught her to rise before dawn to provide for her household. Somebody gave her the moral compass to reach out her hand to the needy. Somebody taught her the business principles that made it possible for her to consider a field and buy it. Perhaps most importantly, somebody gave her a sufficiently strong sense of self that made it possible for her to go out and make a huge impact on the world around her. Raising a Princess begins with the end in mind. The end is the Proverbs 31 woman; Croyle keeps her squarely in view as he looks at what parenting techniques help the reader to raise a princess who will someday be a queen. Based on Croyle's life and experience parenting more than 1,800 abused and neglected children at Big Oak Ranch, alongside his two biological children, the book is organized around eight virtues a parent can build in his or her princess: Then change the letters as follows: P: Praiseworthiness R: Righteousness I: Initiative N: Nurture C: Character E: Empowerment S: Servant-Heartedness S: Stability

What do indoor picnics and funny face contests have to do with loving Jesus? More than you realize! As a mom in the throes of parenting, Courtney DeFeo believes that instilling virtues in children starts with laughter, not lecture. That perspective propelled her to create this idea-packed book, in which she offers motivating reflections, real-life stories, and a sandbox full of inventive ways to help you turn your kids’ hearts toward God. Each chapter focuses on one virtue that is key for developing your child’s character. Along with insights into how this virtue plays out in the nitty-gritty of life, Courtney includes a memory verse, activity ideas, and discussion questions to reinforce that virtue throughout the month. Here you’ll find a full year of ways to draw your children closer to God through delightful antics like Family Olympics, One Fancy Feast, and Light ’Em Up. In This House, We Will Giggle shows you how to capture the hearts of your children through fun—so that they experience the goodness of Christ, the joy of following Him, and the difference they can make in the lives of others. (Water balloons not included!)