Pre-Owned Start with the Heart: How to Motivate Your Kids to Be Compassionate, Responsible, and Brave (Even When You're Not Around, (Paperback)

As the director of family ministries in my church, I often get the opportunity to visit with families, youth and children. Often these conversations start generally about how life is going and end up discussing family dynamics – some of life's most complicated moments. I'm always looking for tools that will help families be the best they can and anticipate early who their kids are and how best to raise them, not neglecting any part. Some books are far too complicated, some unrealistically promise too much too soon, while other books take too long to get to the point. It has been a challenge to find that “right” book. But I was lucky enough to be part of a launch team for Dr. Kathy Koch's new book called “Start with the heart”. Her book is an easy read as you can see her outgoing and caring personality shine through her words. Her words are non-judgmental as she likes to say “you didn't know these things yesterday…”. Her practical ideas and thoughts will give you things to work on immediately. Chapter One starts with 18 important truths to consider over your family and it just gets better from there. If you are looking for a concise, easy to read book on parenting your kids, this is it! You won't be disappointed!

Being raised in a dysfunctional family I have always wanted to raise my children differently and while that mostly has come surprisingly natural given my circumstances- I have often turned to parenting books to give me the tools that were not caught or taught from my own parents. My sister introduced me to Dr. Kathy and I was immediately amazed with her giftedness when it comes to parenting and children so when I saw that Start With The Heart was being released, I knew I had to read it given the title alone! The book is absolutely dedicated to its title and one that I deeply believe every parent should read for themselves as the content is applicable to any age group. I appreciate the wisdom and insight Dr. Kathy gives in each chapter and while reading, I often found myself shaking my head and saying “yes” in agreement. I also love how Dr. Kathy is able to trace back her wisdom to Scripture and gives practical tools and advice that make the book easy to follow and comprehend. In addition, this book would be fun for a group of parents to do together or even use in a church topic study as each chapter ends with questions to think about or things to do, allowing for a deeper understanding and application. The book is written as if Dr. Kathy were sitting across from you having a conversation with you about parenting giving it a more personal and emotional feel. This book has been transformational in the way I view my role as a parent and the ways, behaviors, attitudes and words which I use with my child. There are too many wonderful quotes/paragraphs/sayings in this book to list them all so I encourage you to read the book for yourself so that you too, can see just how amazing this book is. If every parent would read this book and truly apply Dr. Kathy's wisdom in their own homes- it would be amazing to see the positive changes in our children and change our world. Thank you Dr. Kathy for showing us that it truly does Start With The Heart.