Let Them Be Kids: Adventure, Boredom, Innocence, and Other Gifts Children Need
Written by Jessica Smartt
Narrated by Amanda Sanfilippo
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
As parents we want to safeguard our children from the pressures and influences of the world, but also prepare them for age-appropriate realities. How do we find that balance? Jessica Smartt shares ways to be more aware, proactive, and protective, but also adventurous with our kids.
A former English teacher and homeschooling mother of three, Jessica Smartt felt the weight of helping prepare her kids for life, seeking to raise her children with a sense of adventure, self-confidence, manners, faith, and the ability to use technology wisely.
Let Them Be Kids is Jessica’s offering of grace and confidence to moms, providing practical ideas to meet the challenge of raising children. Part story, part guidebook, every chapter includes doable parenting strategies and encouragement for the journey, equipping moms with ways to provide a safe, healthy, Christ-centered upbringing for our children. Her well-researched, tested methods, woven together with her personal stories and witty humor, deliver wisdom on tough topics, such as:
- Managing technology and fostering creative playtime
- Balancing family time versus sports and extracurriculars
- How and why to let your kids be awkward
- Protecting innocence and purity
- Showing grace when kids disobey
If you want to conquer fear and find the truth that transforms entire families, Let Them Be Kids will show you that it’s not only possible but essential to enjoy every special moment of building family values together. And it serves as a gentle reminder that, someday, you'll be very glad you did.
Jessica Smartt
Jessica Smartt is a former English teacher turned homeschooling mama of three. A week after her first baby was born, she began her motherhood blog “Smartter” Each Day. Jessica and her husband live in beautiful North Carolina, where she loves hiking with kids (mostly), steaming coffee in the afternoon, family bike rides, and anything that’s ever been done to a potato.
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Reviews for Let Them Be Kids
100 ratings8 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be a fantastic and practical guide on motherhood. The author addresses important topics for kids and parents, offering practical advice that can be implemented immediately. The book is inspiring, encouraging, and motivates readers to make positive changes in their parenting. While there were a few parts that some readers found confusing, overall the book was well-received and highly recommended. It is a valuable resource for parents who want to raise good humans and promote kindness in today's world.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is fantastic. Easily the best book I’ve read on motherhood.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So many wonderful points made in this book love that page was also tight and kept going back and re-listening to parts over and over again to help guide me and bringing up my five young children so that they may become good humans and adults and share kindness that we all need in the world today
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was a fantastic book and inspired and encouraged me to make changes. We have limited screen time immensely for both myself and kids and it’s been great. I feel I’m being more intentional when playing with them rather than always glancing at my phone. She also referenced two books that I have already read and loved so I feel we share the r same values. Fantastic read!!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5All of the "imporDant[s]" are driving me nuts! ImporTant. Thanks.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Such a great book to have if you want help your kids be just kids for as long as you can. Loved it and would totally recommend!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love this book as a whole, there were a few parts that had me scratching my head but overall it was good. She reaffirmed a few of my thoughts, and made me think twice about something I had always been against.
Note: she does talk about her faith but not in a pushy way, and does tell you at one part of your not a believer to skip that chapter.
There were a lot of good things in here, and I will be re-reading and combing through it again in the future. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I didn’t get 5 minutes in. I will def have to read the physical copy of this book. She takes big breaths constantly and I cannot listen to that the whole book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is AMAZING! Practical and gracious, uplifting, and motivating.
The author writes from a place of humility and reality about all of our, including her own, shortcomings, yet doesn’t make excuses not to keep pushing forward in this most important work of raising kids.
Far from just magically inspiring fluff, this book is practical and you can put things into place the day you read it. It hit all the most important topics for kids and parents.
It’s written for moms but mom and dad would love to read it together to be on the same page.