Title: The Years Fly By….But the Days Last Forever! A Biblical Guide to Urgent and Intentional Parenting
Author: Cathy Durrenberg
Publisher: PageTurner Press and Media
ISBN: 978-1-63871-412-5
Pages: 124
Genre: Parenting & Relationships
Reviewed by: Nicole Olson
Pacific Book Review
As a parent myself I find myself wishing at times – if only someone wrote the perfect book explaining everything there is to know about life and kids. The answer is God gave us his Word – the Bible! All the answers are in there, and while I turn to Him first thing every morning (and all day long with my toddler) – a book just like Cathy Durrenberg’s is a life saver for parents everywhere! She addresses issues parents face at every stage of their children’s lives and she backs up her logical parenting advice with scripture.
Durrenberg includes various anecdotes from her own household and shows readers there is no perfect way to parent. Every child is different and no parent is perfect – every family goes through their share of ups and downs.
While there are several Christian parenting books out there, Durrenberg’s offers a fresh perspective as it is written by a working mother. I think it highlights the importance of both parents being on the same page and tackling their roles as a team rather than having the mother in charge of all aspects of parenting and caregiving.
Durrenberg uses verses from Bible translations which are easy for any Christian to understand and perfectly apply to various aspects of parenthood. This is the most important part of the book and she starts her book saying that parents in America need to get back to following Jesus and the Word of God first – before anything else. She explains her own periods of shortcoming in this aspect of her life and how God reminded her of what was truly important. I think this is something all Christians go through, and these corrections from God are what shape us as believers. They draw us closer to Him, as well as our families and our communities as well.
The Years Fly By….But the Days Last Forever! is a quick read and perfect for any parent who wants to bring God into their role as a mother or father. I don’t think I could have read this book at a better time (perhaps during my first pregnancy when it seemed like I had all the time in the world) – I am currently raising a two-year-old boy and expecting a little girl. I believe these children are gifts from God and I must take my role as their mother seriously. There are times where I find myself at a loss of how to respond to my toddler’s behavior and I find the best answers to be in the Word of God. While he doesn’t understand everything perfectly yet I try to talk to him about Jesus and God and why we pray. He is learning every day and I know I could not do it without my strength in the Lord.
